Singer Al Jarreau dies at 76
Legendary jazz artist Al Jarreau died Sunday morning in Los Angeles. He was 76. The cause of death has not been released, but he was recently hospitalized for exhaustion.
Jarreau's career spanned five decades, with 20 albums and seven Grammy wins, and he is the only Grammy vocalist to have won in the jazz, pop, and R&B categories. Born in Milwaukee in 1940, Jarreau began singing in the church choir at age 4. After receiving his bachelor's degree in psychology and master's degree in vocational rehabilitation, he moved to San Francisco and briefly worked as a social worker in the 1960s, but soon moved to Los Angeles to become a singer.
"All through his career, he was someone who was daring," jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves told the Los Angeles Times. "He was totally original. Nobody before him sang like that. He was a courageous singer because he had no problem making something new every single night he was on stage. It was extraordinary to watch." He is survived by his wife, Susan, and son, Ryan.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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