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Cassandra Wilson, Influential Jazz Singer, Dies at 70

Her death removes a leading voice whose genre‑blurring work expanded modern jazz.

Overview

  • The Hinds County medical examiner, Jeramiah Howard, confirmed that Wilson died on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2026, at her home in Jackson, Mississippi.
  • Her representative said she "departed in peace" at home surrounded by family, and officials have not released a cause of death.
  • Wilson won two Grammy Awards and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022 after a career defined by intimate reinterpretations of songs and minimalist arrangements.
  • She built a reputation for fusing jazz with blues, folk, country and pop, rising from the Jackson scene to New York’s M-Base Collective and a long run of acclaimed albums including New Moon Daughter and Loverly.
  • Leaders and musicians have begun posting tributes and local officials said Jackson lost a native daughter, and expect broader memorials and renewed attention to her recordings in the days ahead.