Celebrated Jazz Musician Roy Hargrove Dead at 49
Written by SOURCE on November 3, 2018
Acclaimed jazz musician Roy Hargrove died in New York City on Friday night, just weeks after his 49th birthday.
Hargrove’s longtime manager Larry Clothier told NPR that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. The celebrated musician was recently admitted to the hospital for kidney-related issues and was reportedly on dialysis for multiple years.
“It is with great sadness and a devastated heart that we report the passing of Roy Hargrove on November 2 at the age of 49,” a statement read on his Facebook page. “[…] One of the most respected and loved musicians in our New York City community and the world at large, the trailblazing multiple Grammy Award winning trumpeter was known just as intensely for his brimming fire and fury as he was for his gorgeous, signature balladry.”
Hargrove’s music career took off in the late 1980s after spending one year at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. He would go on to play alongside famed jazz musicians, such as Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, and Herbie Hancock, before crossing over to more mainstream genres like hip-hop and R&B. Some of his most notable collaborators include Erykah Badu, Common, D’Angelo, and John Mayer.
Over the span of his three-decade career, Hargrove released a slew of albums, including the Grammy-winning efforts Habana (1998) and Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall (2002); the latter release was a tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, assisted by Hancock and Michael Becker.
In wake of the tragic news, many fans and celebrities expressed their condolences on Twitter. You can read some of the heartfelt messages below.
