Legendary pianist Ellis Marsalis passed away on April 1, 2020. A cause of death was not immediately revealed. The 85-year-old jazz master had been hospitalized and tested for coronavirus but had not received the results prior to his death, a family member told WWL-TV anchor Eric Paulsen.
The tragic news of Marsalis’ passing was confirmed by WDSU reporter Gina Swanson, who received the information from the director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.
Following the news of Marsalis’ passing, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the world lost “a legend” today:
He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz. The love and the prayers of all of our people go out to his family, and to all of those whose lives he touched. He was a teacher, a father, and an icon — and words aren’t sufficient to describe the art, the joy and the wonder he showed the world. This loss cuts us deeply. May we wrap his family in our love and our gratitude, and may we honor his memory by coming together in spirit — even as the outbreak keeps us apart, for a time.
Four of Marsalis’ sons — Branford, a saxophonist; Wynton, a trumpeter; Delfeayo, a trombonist; and Jason, a drummer — all followed in his footsteps and became famous jazz musicians in their own right. He had two more sons, Ellis III and Mboya, but they didn’t catch the music bug.
His wife, Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis, mother of all six boys, preceded the pianist in death. After suffering from pancreatic cancer, she passed away at age 80 on July 18, 2017.
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