Pharoah Sanders, popularly known for being a Grammy award-winning jazz saxophonist, has passed away at the age of 81.
The musician's record label, Luaka Bop, confirmed the tragic news on Twitter, saying Sanders "died peacefully" while being surrounded by friends and family in Los Angeles, California.
"Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace," they added. (via People Magazine)
As of this writing, neither his family nor his label has given an official cause of death.
Sanders spent his early days in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was exposed to music growing up as he was born into a musical family.
He previously collaborated with some of the best saxophonists in San Francisco. Among the musicians he worked with are Sonny Simmons and Dewey Redman.
According to a bio in his official website, his early musical influences are John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Harold Land, and more.
Later in life, he started playing different types of genre like free jazz, rhythm & blues, bebop, and more.
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Pharoah Sanders' Career Didn't Take Off Immediately
Like any other artist, Sanders experienced a hard time after moving to New York in 1961.
In order to make ends meet, he worked jobs that are not related to music and sometimes made the big sacrifice of sleeping on the subway.
However, he didn't give up as he continued striving for his goal to be a known musician.
One day, one of his idols, Coltrane, asked him to sit in with his band. By 1965, he was regularly playing for the musician's band.
During that time, they produced controversial music as it was significantly different than traditional jazz concepts.
He finally made his first record as a leader, but years later, Coltrane passed away, making him work with his widow, Alice Coltrane.
After working for the late legend, he became popularly known in the jazz scene as he was considered a "well-rounded artist" that knows how to play in a "variety of contexts."
All his hard work paid off as he won a Grammy Award for best jazz instrumental performance in 1989 after the success of his album "Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane."
His last known music-related work was in 2021 when he recorded and released his final album "Promises."
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