‘Unforgettable’ singer Natalie Cole dead at 65

Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole, whose biggest hit came in a virtual duet with her late father, pop legend Nat King Cole, of his decades-old hit “Unforgettable”, has died at the age of 65, her family said today.

The celebrity gossip site TMZ said Cole died at a Los Angeles hospital from heart failure.

Using technology that was cutting edge at the time, studio engineers merged her voice with her father’s in the song “Unforgettable”, which had been a hit for Nat King Cole in 1951.

Natalie Cole had battled drug problems and hepatitis for years, forcing her to undergo a kidney transplant in May 2009.

Her 1991 album, “Unforgettable…With love” which paid tribute to her father with reworked versions of some of his best-known songs, including “That Sunday That Summer”, “Too Young” and “Mona Lisa” was her greatest success however.

Her album, “Unforgettable… With Love”, won the Grammy for Album of the Year and has sold more than seven million copies in the United States. The song, which nabbed Grammys for Song and Record of the Year, was many things at once: a sentimental celebration of father-daughter love, a sonic bridge between disparate eras, an ambitious career rebranding for Cole herself, and an uncanny demonstration of technological marvel that forecast our current era of posthumous Tupac and Michael Jackson holograms.

She began her career as an R and B singer, but later gravitated toward the smooth pop and jazz standards that her father loved. Her quick success and the similarities to Franklin, another mezzo-soprano, did not please the “Queen of Soul”, who at the time called Cole “just a novice”. “She will be truly missed but her light will shine forever!” The music industry welcomed her with two Grammy awards in 1976 – one for best new artist and one for best female R&B vocal performance for her buoyant hit “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”. While in college, she performed with bands and set aside plans for being a child psychologist. Like Natalie Cole after her, Wilson moved freely and adeptly between jazz, R&B and gospel, creating a seamless fusion approach all her own. She was arrested for heroin possession in 1975 and sought treatment for drug addiction in the ’80s.

In a statement, her son Robert Yancy, and sisters Timolin and Casey, said: “It is with heavy hearts that we bring to you all the news of our Mother and sister’s passing”. She was married three times. Then, take a listen to her quietude and interiority on the gossamer-gentle wedding ballad “Inseparable”. In 2009, during an appearance on Larry King Live, Cole received emails from fans who offered her one of their kidneys. Cole recently canceled several performances due to illness.