The ‘Unforgettable’ Natalie Cole Dead At 65

Natalie Cole died at 65. (Photo by David, Flickr)

Natalie Cole, the legendary songstress and daughter of jazz icon Nat ‘King’ Cole, died today. 

Her death comes after a prolonged illness, congestive heart failure, complications from a kidney transplant in 2009 and a battle with hepatitis C, according to TMZ.com and the New York Daily News.

Cole cancelled numerous concert dates of late due to sickness, including a show scheduled for Los Angeles’s Disney Hall last night.

A longtime fan, I remember jamming to her huge 1975 R&B hit ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ when I was young, thinking that she could very likely be the next Aretha Franklin.

But jazz lover that I am, it was the release of her 1991 album of jazz standards, Unforgettable… With Love, that won me and a whole new legion of fans.

She went on to record numerous other albums, including 2008’s Still Unforgettable and 2013’s Natalie Cole en Español. 

She is survived by one son.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, actor Eric West and others took to Twitter this morning to share their thoughts about the late singer.