One of jazz\u2019s most towering voices has gone silent.<\/p>\n
Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist known as the “Saxophone Colossus,” died Monday, May 25, at his home in Woodstock, New York, in Ulster County in the Hudson Valley, his family announced on social media.<\/a> He was 95.<\/p>\n ” data-original_data=”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” data-testid=”article-embedded-element” data-user=”Sonny Rollins” js-embedded=”” js-module=”DeferUntilLCP”><\/p>\n Rollins had stopped performing more than a decade ago because of pulmonary fibrosis, The Washington Post reported.<\/a><\/p>\n Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 7, 1930, Rollins became one of the last direct links to the bebop and hard-bop generations. He played with Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and John Coltrane, then built a body of work that helped define modern jazz.<\/p>\n His career stretched across more than six decades. During that time, Rollins released more than 60 albums and remained one of the final surviving stars of the bebop era.<\/p>\n Rollins\u2019 1956 album “Saxophone Colossus” became his defining statement. It included “St. Thomas” and “Blue 7,” both now central works in the jazz canon. That same year, he recorded “Tenor Madness,” featuring a historic pairing with Coltrane.<\/p>\n In 1959, at the height of his fame, Rollins stepped away from performing and began practicing for hours on the Williamsburg Bridge. The sabbatical became jazz lore and later inspired his 1962 comeback album, “The Bridge.”<\/p>\n Rollins also reached beyond jazz audiences. He played saxophone on The Rolling Stones\u2019 1981 song “Waiting On A Friend,” from the album “Tattoo You.”<\/p>\n His honors included a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Polar Music Prize, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Barack Obama. The Library of Congress added “Saxophone Colossus” to the National Recording Registry in 2016.<\/p>\n