Singer Peggy Lee, whose sultry voice belted out blues, jazz and ballads for over four decades, has died at her Bel Air home, her family reported. She was 81.
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Peggy Lee (81) who died
of a heart attack. |
Ms Lee's daughter, Nicki Lee Foster, said on the singer's website that Ms Lee had died of a heart attack on Monday night. She suffered a stroke three years ago.
One of the best-loved female singers in America, the ash blond with the tied-back hair recorded over 60 albums containing over 600 songs during her career, including such classics as Fever, Manana, Lover, Golden Earrings, Big Spenderand Is That All There Is?- the latter winning her two Grammy Awards in 1969.
Her 1989 album, Peggy Sings the Blues,was a Grammy Award nominee. Lee was also a prolific songwriter and arranger and her 1990, The Peggy Lee Songbook,contained four songs she wrote with guitarist John Chiodini.
She also wrote for jazz greats Duke Ellington, who called her "the Queen," and Johnny Mercer and composer Quincy Jones.
Along the way she wowed audiences with her signing from lavish night clubs to the White House, prompting renowned Los Angeles Timesjazz critic Leonard Feather to dub her "Miss Standing Ovation".
Lee also made her mark in Hollywood as an actress, winning an Academy Award nomination for her role as the hard-drinking singer in the 1955 jazz saga Pete Kelly's Blues.