Sonny Rollins, towering jazz innovator known as 'Saxophone Colossus,' dies at 95
Key takeaways
- By: FRANCE 24 Sonny Rollins performs during a concert in Tokyo, Oct. 4, 2010.
- "It is with deep sorrow and profound love that we announce the passing of Sonny Rollins," a post to his social media page said, adding that he "died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY."
- But unlike so many artists from jazz's defining post-World War II period, Rollins lived a long life, remastering his work well into his 80s even as respiratory issues limited his performances.
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Sonny Rollins, the fiercely inventive tenor saxophonist whose decades-spanning career helped define modern jazz and earned him the nickname 'Saxophone Colossus,' died Monday at his home in upstate New York, according to a statement posted to his social media accounts. He was 95.
By: FRANCE 24 Sonny Rollins performs during a concert in Tokyo, Oct. 4, 2010. © Junji Kurokawa, AP Sonny Rollins, the "Saxophone Colossus" whose hard-charging yet flowingly meditative works made him the last in a golden era of jazz greats, died Monday. He was 95.
"It is with deep sorrow and profound love that we announce the passing of Sonny Rollins," a post to his social media page said, adding that he "died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY."