Lionel Ferbos, a jazz trumpeter considered New Orleans' oldest musician, died just two days after turning 103 years old, New Orleans' WWLTV reports.
While Ferbos finally retired from playing due to health issues earlier this year, he enjoyed a birthday party on Thursday, receiving local well wishes, as well as some from a bit farther away — President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama sent a birthday greeting to the trumpeter.
Ferbos first picked up an old cornet at age 15 from a pawn shop. He went on to back blues singer Marnie Smith, tour with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra, and hold down a decades-long gig at the Palm Court on New Orleans' Decatur Street, where Ferbos lead the Palm Court Jazz Band each week.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Practice, practice, practice," he told aspiring musicians. "Do that, and you'll make friends all over the world."
Learn more about Ferbos' storied career via The Associated Press video, made in 2013, below. --Sarah Eberspacher
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
