We’re saddened to report these passings among the music community:
Lena Horne passed away on May 9 from heart failure. Born in 1917, Horne was a singer, actress, civil rights activist, and dancer. She began her career in the chorus line at the Cotton Club at 16, worked in other nightclubs, then began working in films in Hollywood. After being blacklisted during the Red Scare and therefore unable to work in Hollywood, she continued to work as a performer and recording artist. In 1981 (one year after she announced her retirement) her one-woman show on Broadway began a 300-performance run, earning her many awards. She continued recording and performing until around 2000. During her career she earned eight Grammy awards, includig a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hank Jones, jazz pianist and composer, passed away at the age of 91. During his 70-year career, Jones served as Ella Fitzgerald’s pianist and also had the honor of accompanying Marilyn Monroe when she sann “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy. He performend with some of the greats of jazz, including Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Cannonball Adderley, Artie Shaw, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, and many, many more. He stated that his one regret was that he didn’t record more often with his brothers, Elvin Jones and Thad Jones. His numerous awards include Grammys (one of which was a Lifetime Achievement Award), a Jazz Master award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Pianist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association, and many more.
Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser passed away on May 17, just days after his 98th birthday. Sennheiser was the founder of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, introducing his first products in 1945, by 1958, Sennheiser had 450 employees. The company has expanded since its founding to include a wide variety of microphones, wireless systems, speakers, and headphones. Under his guidance, Sennheiser innovations included the first shotgun microphones and open headphones, as well as advances in wireless and infra-red transmission. He was tireless in his efforts to educate, continuing to teach long after his official “retirement.” He was one of the last living microphone pioneers, following the passings of the Shure Brothers and Electro-Voice’s Al Kahn.
Our condolences to the friends, families, and fans of these industry legends.