Sonny Rollins, Jazz's Saxophone Colossus and Greatest Improvisor, Dead at 95

3 hours ago

Sonny Rollins, jazz saxophonist and legendary improviser, died at age 95 at his home in Woodstock, NY.
He began playing saxophone at age 7 and was drawn to jazz early, honing skills in Harlem with peers like Jackie McLean.
Rollins' career spanned from the late 1940s to his retirement in 2014, with key recordings in the 1950s, including 'Saxophone Colossus' and 'Way Out West'.
He took notable sabbaticals, including practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge, leading to his album 'The Bridge' upon return.
Rollins collaborated with many jazz greats like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk, and contributed to the Rolling Stones' 'Tattoo You'.
He received numerous honors, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, National Medal of Arts, and Kennedy Center Honors.
Rollins retired in 2014 due to pulmonary fibrosis but remained hopeful about future musical contributions until his death.

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