Legendary singer Natalie Cole dies at 65

The singer Natalie Cole died on New Year’s Eve in the United States, at the relatively young age of 65.

Cole made her recording debut in 1975 with “Inseparable”.

When she announced in 2008 that she had been diagnosed with hepatitis C, a liver disease spread through contact with infected blood, she blamed her past intravenous drug use. We all thought she would lead a much longer and healthier life.

– The Graytest (@MacyGraysLife) January 1, 2016 Rest In Peace, Natalie Cole! While she kept recording and touring – she won a ninth Grammy in 2009 for “Still Unforgettable” – illness cut into her career. While attending the University of MA and studying psychology, she sang in nightclubs, and was often billed as “Nat King Cole’s daughter”.

On this album, she fully embraced her father’s legacy by performing updated jazz-pop versions of his signature hits, including “Paper Moon”, “Straighten Up and Fly Right”, “L-O-V-E”, “Route 66” and “Mona Lisa” that evoked vivid memories of her father even as they allowed her to reassert her own distinctive style and broad resources as a vocalist.

Singer Jordin Sparks wrote: ‘Rest in everlasting love.

Having spent more than 40 years in the music industry, having followed in the footsteps of her famous father Nat King Cole, news of her death provoked a flurry of tributes from her peers, with legendary jazz singer Tony Bennett posting a heartfelt message on Instagram on Friday (01Jan16). She is named Best New Artist at the 1976 Grammy Awards, where This Will Be also wins Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. She eventually entered rehab in 1983. “I’m not like that”, she told The Los Angeles Times in 1985. Natalie Cole’s voice was perfection. She ended up taking his place in the group and setting a medical career aside. I pray that precious memories of her, filled with joy and laughter soon overshadow the pain of their loss. By May 2009, she received a kidney transplant, as a result of the organ’s failure.

In her 2000 autobiography Angel On My Shoulder, the singer opened up about her heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol addiction. In a technical feat considered novel in the day, Cole sang the title track – with its elegant, string- backed opening line “Unforgettable, that’s what you are” – in a duet with her father. Cole went on to release more than 20 albums over the course of her career, including four platinum records. Starting off as an R&B singer, Cole moved towards the smooth jazz sound similar to her father’s. Cole is survived by her son Robert Adam Yancy, who is also a singer. Her performance garnered a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special.

Cole was married to Marvin J. Yancy, her producer for years, and was separated from him when he died in 1985.