Jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco dies at age 91

Jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco dies at age 91
(Image credit: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

Legendary jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco died on Wednesday in a Panama City hospital, his family confirmed on Friday to The Associated Press.

DeFranco, who was 91, collaborated with musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Art Tatum, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett. He had been named a Living Jazz Legend at at Kennedy Center ceremony, and he was recognized 16 times as the top jazz clarinetist in the world.

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.