Nationwide — Singer Natalie Cole passed away over the 2015/16 holiday season; She reportedly died from from congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 65. She had recently cancelled several tour dates because of her health issues, which included hepatitis C and complications from a kidney transplant in 2009 that she never fully recovered from.
#1 – She is the daughter of the late Nat King Cole: Her dad was a singer and jazz pianist widely noted for his soft, baritone voice. Although he died back in 1965, his songs are still played today on radio stations around the world – especially around Christmas time.
#2 – Although she was the daughter of a superstar, she tried to be herself: She told Jet Magazine in a 1976 interview. “People said when I started, ‘Why don’t you just copy your father’s style?’ I had to be myself, singing my songs in my own way.” Early on, she said people had started calling her Natalie “Queen” Cole.
#3 – She achieved major, major accomplishments: Most people don’t know how big of an artist she was, but in fact, Natalie Cole sold more than 30 million albums and earned nine Grammy Awards.
#4 – Her biggest song was with her dad: She made history with her 1991 album “Unforgettable.. With Love,” in which she sang with her dad on a remake of his signature song “Unforgettable”. The song was a smash hit, and the album went on to sell 7 million copies.
#5 – She was not a one-hit wonder: Natalie Cole’s success as an artist spanned four decades, from the 1970’s to the 2010’s.
#6 – She was more than just a singer: In addition to being a successful singer, Natalie Cole made guest appearances as an actress on TV series such as “Touched by an Angel” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. She also played herself in a “Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story” directed by Robert Townsend in the year 2000. She later won an NAACP Image Award for that performance.
#7 – She was global: In 2013, Natalie Cole released an entire album in spanish called “Natalie Cole en Español”. The album was #1 on the Latin Pop Albums Chart for nine weeks, and went on to be nominated for Album of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy.
#8 – She was human: Early in her career, Natalie Cole became addicted to heroin, and nearly derailed her successful music career. But she made a determination to rehabilitate herself, and had been clean from since 1987. What an inspiration for others!
For more details about Natalie Cole, visit her official web site at www.nataliecole.com
