Jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis dead at 85
Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis, educator and father of four noted musicians, died in New Orleans. He was 85.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the musician an icon in announcing his death. The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music confirmed his death to NBC News affiliate WDSU.
The statements did not detail the cause of death.
Ellis Marsalis was a legend. 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.
📸: Chris Granger/New Orleans Advocate pic.twitter.com/yQTMk62wIm— Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) April 2, 2020
Marsalis' sons include trumpeter Wynton, saxophonist Branford, trombonist Delfeayo, and drummer Jason.
WDSU described him as the patriarch of jazz music's "First Family."
He was a pianist and educator who performed on television in Los Angeles weekly after serving in the Marine Corps in the 1950s. He returned to New Orleans to spread the gospel of jazz at the Southern Repertory Theater, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and local venue Snug Harbor.
In January he retired from performing.