Cassandra Wilson, the two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and producer whose distinctive contralto voice helped redefine the boundaries of contemporary jazz, has died at age 70.

Wilson died Tuesday morning at her home in her native Jackson, Mississippi, according to Hinds County Coroner Jeramiah Howard. Her manager said she died peacefully, surrounded by family, close friends and her manager.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Cassandra Wilson, the Grammy Award-winning and legendary jazz artist,” her manager said in a statement to jazz radio station WBGO.

Known for a voice that seamlessly blended jazz, blues, folk, R&B, country and pop, Wilson developed a sound that was uniquely her own. Time magazine once called her “America’s best singer,” a reflection of the influence and versatility she brought to modern jazz.

Jon Batiste, who worked with Wilson during his career, described her sound simply as the sound of the South.

From Jackson to the World

Born and raised in Jackson, Wilson grew up in a musical family. Her father, Herman B. Fowlkes, was a musician, while her mother, Mary Fowlkes, was a teacher.

Wilson began piano lessons at age 6 and later played clarinet in marching bands. While attending Millsaps College and Jackson State University, she performed at coffeehouses and with cover bands, gradually developing the musical identity that would define her career.

In the early 1980s, Wilson studied under influential jazz musicians in New Orleans before moving to New York City. There, she became part of Steve Coleman’s M-Base Collective and eventually emerged as its primary vocalist.

Her unmistakable voice earned her four Grammy nominations and two victories for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She won in 1997 for New Moon Daughter and again in 2009 for Loverly.

Wilson’s career was marked by a willingness to move beyond traditional jazz. She incorporated elements of blues, folk, R&B, country and other musical traditions while maintaining the deep, expressive quality of her contralto voice.

A Lasting Connection to Billie Holiday

In 2015, Wilson performed a special concert at New York City’s historic Apollo Theater commemorating the 100th birthday of Billie Holiday, one of the most influential vocalists in jazz history.

That same year, Wilson released what would become her final album, Coming Forth by Day, a tribute to Holiday.

Wilson’s contributions to American music continued to receive recognition. In 2022, she was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, one of the nation’s highest honors for jazz musicians.

Tributes Pour In

Following news of her death, musicians and public figures paid tribute to Wilson’s extraordinary career and influence.

Batiste praised Wilson for her unmistakable tone and phrasing, as well as her ability to bring together folkloric, R&B, diasporic, experimental and popular music.

He also highlighted her Mississippi roots, saying they remained present throughout her evolving career.

“She was one of the first people to take me on tour around the world,” Batiste wrote in a tribute shared on Instagram. “The great Cassandra Wilson.”

Jackson Mayor John Horhn also mourned the loss of the city’s native daughter, saying Wilson carried the spirit and history of Mississippi with her wherever her music took her.

With her death, the jazz world loses one of its most distinctive voices—a singer whose deep connection to the American South became an essential part of a musical style that reached far beyond traditional jazz.