Grammy-Winning Jazz Icon Cassandra Wilson Dies At 70

Grammy Award-winning American jazz singer, songwriter and producer, Cassandra Wilson, has died at the age of 70.

Wilson passed away on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at her home in Jackson, Mississippi, her hometown.

The news of her death was confirmed in a statement released by her longtime manager, Robert Torre, to jazz radio station WBGO.

According to Torre, the legendary vocalist “transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager”. f286

He did not disclose the cause of death and appealed to the public to respect the privacy of her family and close friends during this difficult period.

Born on December 4, 1955, in Jackson, Wilson rose to become one of the most influential jazz vocalists of her generation, celebrated for her rich, smoky contralto voice.

She emerged in the late 1980s through the Steve Coleman-led M-Base Collective before establishing herself as a major solo artist blending jazz with blues, folk and country influences.

Wilson won two Grammy Awards in her career, Best Jazz Vocal Performance in 1997 for her album New Moon Daughter and Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2009 for Loverly.

She was named “America’s Best Singer” by Time magazine in 2001 and was honored as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2022.

Tributes have continued to pour in, with fellow musician Jon Batiste describing her as possessing an unmistakable vocal tone that “sounded like the South.”