Natalie Cole, ‘Unforgettable’ Grammy winning singer, dies at 65

“Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived … with dignity, strength and honor”.

Cole was born in 1950 to Nat “King” Cole and his wife, Maria Ellington Cole, a onetime vocalist with Duke Ellington who was no relation to the great bandleader. She has four siblings, Carol, Casey, Nat Kelly, and Timolin.

She’s survived by a son and other family members. She eventually entered rehab in 1983.

“Our parish really rallied around her, supporting her through prayer”, he said, during Cole’s illness and 2009 transplant. Her melodic voice and “Unforgettable'” duets she performed with her father through the magic of technology honored her father and introduced a whole new generation to the beauty of the standards. The record earned the songstress Grammys for Best Newcomer and Best Rhythm and Blues (R&B) vocals. An album, Still Unforgettable, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album of 2008. As well as trying to emerge out of her father’s shadow, a feud broke out with fellow R&B diva Aretha Franklin – the latter was particularly irked at suggestions by the press that Cole was “the new Aretha”. She was one-of-a-kind, and was much beloved for her hits, like This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) and Unforgettable. I had to hold back the tears. Additionally, she acted in a few television programs and two movies.

In an interview at the time with People magazine, Cole said of the diagnosis: “My life crumbled before my eyes”.

She begins singing at age 6 with her father, Nat King Cole.

In 2010, Natalie Cole came out with a second book, a memoir called Love Brought Me Back.

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. “She represented the Cole legend of excellence and class quite well”. We were blessed with her awesome talent and her presence.

The song and the album Unforgettable… However, there were over 30 million copies sold of the easy-listening record. The album became a multiplatinum smash and Cole received multiple Grammy Awards, including album of the year.

When Cole was 15, and attending boarding school across the country, her father died of lung cancer. All the more unbelievable, then, that her memorable catalog of singles has remained in steady circulation. But her life was marred by personal woes including drug use and three divorces. She voiced the singing voice of Sawyer in the animated feature Cats Don’t Dance, while being a cameo in shows such as The Real Housewives of Miami, The Real Housewives of New York City, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Though, according to TMZ, the heart disease is the result of complications from a kidney transplant and Hepatitis C.

The talented singer, songwriter and television performer died on December 31, 2015. “I know how hard she fought”.