Great Jazz Pianist Oscar Peterson Dies of Kidney Failure
Oscar Peterson, talented jazz pianist known for his speedy fingers, died on Sunday, December 23 due to kidney failure. He will be remembered for his incredible 70 year musical career and the music he created with some of the great musicians of his time – Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown and Herb Ellis. During his career he won several awards including the 1997 Lifetime Grammy, inclusion in the International Jazz Hall of Fame and the Order of Canada.
Oscar was born in Montreal on August 15, 1925. His father was a self-taught musician who taught his kids to love music and used it to lift their spirits in a time when the family was impoverished. Early on, Oscar learned to play the trumpet but after suffering from tuberculosis, he gave it up to concentrate on playing the piano. His big break came in 1949 when he played at Carnegie Hall. His speed and skill escalated him to the top of the list of jazz piano greats. His fame is renowned in his home country of Canada where streets, concert halls, stamps and schools now bear his name.
Oscar suffered a stroke in 1993 but did not let that slow him down. Despite weakening in his left hand and growing arthritis, he toured and recorded up until just a few months ago.
Oscar Peterson was laid to rest in Mississauga, Ontario at a private funeral service on Friday. Diana Krall played Oscar’s song “When Summer Comes†as part of the funeral ceremony.