Her ninth and final Grammy came in 2009 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Still Unforgettable.
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Cole’s mother, Maria Cole, also had been a singer with the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands.
The music world lost a handsome voice in Natalie Cole, whose death was revealed in the first hours of 2016. Talented from an early age, she appears in one famous black and white photo sitting at a piano with her father standing above.
Cole was greatly inspired by her father before his passing from lung cancer when she was only 15.
When Cole got clean, she flirted with chart success once again, delivering so-so pop hits like the Aretha/”Freeway of Love”-styled “Pink Cadillac” and the Whitney Houston-styled “Miss You like insane”. This earned her two Grammy awards including Best New Artist.
She criticized the Recording Academy for giving five Grammys to drug user Amy Winehouse in 2008.
Cole’s ace in the hole was the fact she really could sing.
In a 2000 autobiography, “Angel on My Shoulder”, Cole related how she struggled with depression, most painfully after the death of her father and the near-drowning of her son in a swimming pool. A first trip to rehab failed, but the second one took – and she remained sober for the remainder of her life. Her piano playing and songwriting were also showcased on albums like Inseparable and Unpredictable. According to Entertainment Weekly, she released more than 20 albums during her career.
SIMON: He made Capitol Records.
She bounced back, and her career reached the superstar level in 1991 when she recorded “Unforgettable…” Cole suffered from various health problems over the years, including hepatitis C and kidney failure. In 1976, Cole performed a short self-titled concert special at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theater from November 23-November 28. A year later, she received a new kidney from a deceased fan. Finally, in May 2009, she had an operation and had one of her kidneys replaced.
My dear friend has passed away. However, she knew it would be with limitations. “Instead of 90-minute shows, maybe I’ll only do 60”. I pray that precious memories of her, filled with joy and laughter soon overshadow the pain of their loss.
Natalie Cole has died after fighting illness over the past several weeks. She was one of the greatest singers of our time. “Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived.with dignity, strength and honour”. Lovely song bird (and great actress too) – she is now singing in heaven.’ – Marlee Matlin.
Daughter of Legendary jazz pianist, Nat King Cole and a celebrated singer herself, Natalie Cole dies at the age of 65 on a sad morning of Friday. Her music will live on forever. Tina Turner’s comeback may be more lionized in the public consciousness, but Natalie Cole’s is just as inspiring and unlikely.
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The song and the album Unforgettable…
