Natalie Cole, a daughter of music legend Nat King Cole who became a music star in her own right, died Thursday of heart failure. She was 65.
Cole earned several platinum albums and nine Grammy awards during her career, but she probably will be best known for her smash-hit “Unforgettable” album, where studio wizardry allowed her to sing duets with her long-dead father.
Nat King Cole earned a big hit with the Bobby Troup-written “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” in 1946. Cole sang it on the “Unforgettable” album — not with her father, but her uncle Ike Cole accompanied on piano.
Cole also performed “Route 66” during many of her concerts, including this duet with jazz artist Diana Krall.
Cole battled drug addiction, serious illnesses, and the pressure of dealing with her father’s musical legacy. So her dying at 65 initially sounds premature, but it probably wasn’t, considering the things she endured.
I’ll leave you with another one of her big hits, a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song that was worthy of road trips.
(Image of Natalie Cole by David via Flickr)
Her uncle Freddy Cole, a dynamite jazz, blues and ballad singer and a Julliard grad to boot, is still alive and touring. His quartet has long been a Chicago favorite (and one of ours!).