Legendary jazz musician Sonny Rollins, known as the “Saxophone Colossus”, has died aged 95.
He died at his home in Woodstock, New York, on Monday afternoon, according to a statement from his publicist, who described him as “one of the most honoured and influential figures in American music”.
Rollins had a prolific career that began in the late 1940s. He worked with artists including Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, and released more than 60 albums as a band leader. He won two Grammy Awards before respiratory illness forced him to retire in 2014.
The cause of his death has not been announced.
A 2009 quote accompanied the announcement of his death: “I think when the creative person ends, he continues in the next existence.
“I’m a person who believes this life isn’t the be-all and end-all of everything. A spiritual person doesn’t feel like that.”
In an interview with Jazz Times, Rollins described his immediate fascination with the instrument that would define his fame.
“My mother gave me my first saxophone, an alto saxophone, when I was seven years old,” he recalled.
“I got the saxophone and went into the bedroom and started playing – that was it. I was in seventh heaven. I could have stayed there forever.”
Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York in 1930 and nicknamed Sonny by his grandmother, Rollins was a gifted player mentored by pianist Thelonious Monk.
He went on to perform with many leading jazz artists, including Art Blakey, Bud Powell and Miles Davis.
In 1956, Rollins released his sixth and one of his best-known albums, Saxophone Colossus.
As his fame grew during the early 1960s, Rollins spent hours practising every day on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge.
This later inspired one of his most famous albums, The Bridge, and sparked calls for the bridge to be renamed in his honour.
Rollins was at his home in New York, six blocks from the World Trade Center, when the twin towers were attacked on 11 September 2001.
He and his wife fled to upstate New York, with Rollins carrying only his saxophone. He later told The Guardian: “I lost many prized possessions in 9/11 and learned a lesson – possessions are not where it’s at.”
In 2010, Rollins received the National Medal of the Arts from former US President Barack Obama, who said the jazz musician had inspired him to “take risks that I might not otherwise have taken”.
Known for his lengthy solos, Rollins was regarded as one of jazz’s greatest improvisers. He once told PBS that he would go on stage with a blank mind and no plan beyond an awareness of the structure of the piece.
“Improvising on it, I leave completely to the forces,” he said. “Sometimes I’m surprised by what comes out.”