Natalie Cole Has Died

Natalie Cole Has Died

Photo via Natalie Cole’s Facebook

Singer Natalie Cole has died, Associated Press reports. She was 65. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to TMZ.

Cole sang from an early age, auditioning to sing with her father, Nat King Cole, when she was 11. In 1975, she released her debut album Inseparable; its hits, “This Will Be” and “Inseparable”, helped her earn two Grammy’s. Cole’s fame snowballed throughout the seventies, before a shift away from R&B towards pop and jazz. 1991′s Unforgettable… With Love, which assembled covers of her father’s songs, included a virtual duet between the pair, “Unforgettable”, and won her six Grammy’s.

In later life, Cole continued to tour and record, earning several more Grammy’s, as well as writing her autobiography and co-producing her own biopic, Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story. In May 2009, she underwent a kidney transplant after receiving chemotherapy to rid her of hepatitis C, a disease she blamed on her past intravenous drug use. Shortly before her death, she had cancelled several upcoming shows due to illness.

In a statement, her son Robert Yancy and sisters Timolin and Casey Cole wrote, “Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived … with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved Mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain UNFORGETTABLE in our hearts forever.”

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