Grammy Award-winning jazz singer Al Jarreau passed away Sunday at the age of 76.
Earlier this week, Jarreau was hospitalized in Los Angeles “due to exhaustion.” A statement issued through his website said the singer was “improving slowly,” but doctors nonetheless advised him to cancel further live performances.
In a statement announcing Jarreau’s death, his family wrote, “He will be missed. His 2nd priority in life was music. There was no 3rd. His 1st priority, far ahead of the other, was healing or comforting anyone in need. Whether it was emotional pain, or physical discomfort, or any other cause of suffering, he needed to put our minds at ease and our hearts at rest. He needed to see a warm, affirming smile where there had not been one before. Song was just his tool for making that happen.”
With a career spanning five decades, Jarreau will be remembered for songs such as “Breakin’ Away”, “We’re in This Love Together”, “After All”, “Boogie Down”, “Never Givin’ Up”, and the theme song to the TV series Moonlighting, for which he wrote the lyrics. For his efforts, Jarreau won seven Grammy Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
