Sonny Rollins, one of the most influential tenor saxophone players in jazz history, died Monday at his home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95.
His publicist, Terri Hinte, confirmed the death but did not specify a cause. In recent years, Rollins had struggled with pulmonary fibrosis and other respiratory issues that forced him to step back from performing more than a decade ago.
Rollins earned his nickname “Saxophone Colossus” following his groundbreaking 1956 album of the same name, which the Library of Congress inducted into its National Recording Registry in 2017, citing its “power, grace and humour.”
Born Theodore Walter Rollins on September 7, 1930, in Harlem, he rose to prominence during the bebop era and collaborated with jazz greats including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Charlie Parker. Over his 60-year career, he recorded more than 60 albums as a bandleader and won two Grammy Awards.
One of the most storied chapters of his life came when Rollins retreated to the Williamsburg Bridge in New York to practice in solitude, honing his distinctive sound at the peak of his career.
Rollins stepped away from performing in 2014 but remained revered as one of the last surviving icons of bebop. His innovations in improvisation and fearless experimentation helped elevate jazz from popular entertainment into a serious art form, influencing countless musicians who followed.
He is survived by his nephew Clifton Anderson and nieces Vallyn Anderson and Gabrielle DeGroat.
