Just days after he was forced to retire due to health issues, legendary jazz singer Al Jarreau died at a hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday.
He was 76 years old.
According to reports, Al Jarreau was forced into retirement, at least from touring if not from music altogether, due to serious exhaustion.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner’s manager, Joe Gordon, released a statement late this afternoon, on the eve of the Grammys.
Gordon said, no doubt with a very heavy heart:
“Al Jarreau passed away this morning.”
He died “about 5:30am L.A. time.”
“[Jarreau] was in the hospital, kept comfortable by [his son] Ryan, [his wife] Susan and a few of his family and friends.”
“Ryan and Susan will hold a small, private service at home, for immediate family only. No public service is planned yet.”
News of his death comes five days after Jarreau announced in a post on his website that he was retiring from touring “due to exhaustion.”
Jarreau’s medical team advised him not to perform his remaining 2017 tour dates, effectively putting his touring career on hold indefinitely.
Al had been hospitalized in L.A., where he had been “receiving excellent medical care, responding to treatments and improving slowly.”
“Therefore, with complete sorrow, Al Jarreau must retire from touring,” effective immediately, the statement on his website read.
“He is thankful for his 50 years of traveling the world in ministry through music, and for everyone who shared this with him.
Jarreau went on to give thanks for “his faithful audience, the dedicated musicians and so many others who supported his effort.”
The versatile singer was famously the first vocalist in music history to receive Grammy Awards in three separate categories.
He took home Grammys in jazz, pop and R&B.
Over a long and distinguished career spanning decades, he was perhaps best known for the 1981 hit “We’re in This Love Together.”
He also performed the theme song from the ’80s TV series Moonlighting, which starred Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
