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Photo of Nancy Wilson

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty

Grammy award-winning jazz musician Nancy Wilson has died, her manager has confirmed. She was 81.

Wilson died peacefully in her sleep after battling a long illness in her home in Pioneertown, a California desert community near Joshua Tree National Park. Influenced by the likes of Dinah WashingtonNat “King” Cole and others, Wilson established herself as a jazz legend who could cover multiple genres effortlessly.

She released eight albums that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard charts. She’s best known for the song, “Guess Who I Saw Today” and  the 1964 hit “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am.” Through her lengthy career, Wilson won three Grammy awards, her first coming in 1965 for Best R&B Performance with “How Glad I Am” and her other two wins coming in 2005 and 2007 respectively, both for Best Vocal Jazz Album.

She retired from touring in 2011. Our condolences.