Legendary jazz pianist, composer and bandleader Ahmad Jamal died at the age of 92 on Sunday, his wife confirmed.
Jamal died after battling prostate cancer, his daughter Sumayah Jamal told the New York Times, revealing that he breathed his last in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts.
Jamal has had an iconic music career, spanning more than six decades. He was a lifelong friend of jazz icon Miles Davis and influenced a generation of musicians.
The maestro, known for an understated playing style, rose to fame after his tune I Love Music was sampled in Nas’ classic rap song, The World Is Yours, in 1994.
Jamal was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his contributions to music history in 2017 and also received the Kennedy Center’s 2007 award for a ‘Living Jazz Legend.’
Davis, once said, “All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.” In his autobiography, the trumpeter wrote that Jamal “knocked me out with his concept of space, his lightness of touch, his humility, and the way he expresses notes and chords and passages”.
Jamal is survived by his third ex-wife, Laura Hess-Hay; Sumayah, his daughter with his second ex-wife; and two grandchildren.