Jazz legend Sonny Rollins dies at 95, tributes pour in

Sonny Rollins, the legendary jazz musician who earned the nickname Saxophone Colossus, has passed away at 95 years old.

The saddening news was announced on his website and confirmed by his publicist Terri Hinte on Monday, 25 May.

“Jazz saxophonist/composer Sonny Rollins, one of the most honored and influential figures in American music of the 20th century and beyond, died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY. He was 95,” it read, but the cause of death was not declared.

It also included a profound quote from 2009 by the Grammy lifetime achievement award winner.

“I think when the creative person ends, he continues in the next existence. I’m a person who believes this life isn’t the be-all and end-all of everything. A spiritual person doesn’t feel like that,” the statement added.

Rollins overcame his struggles with addiction and its repurcussions in life, and soon after made massive contributions to music, including his live album A Night at the "Village Vanguard," which is considered one of the greatest jazz albums of all time.

Since news broke of the improvisation genius no longer being in this world, tributes have started pouring in on social media to honour the legend.

One internet user wrote on X, “Long live Sonny Rollins, my favorite aphorism of his 'my greatest joy is everything.'”

Another put, “And then there were none. Sonny Rollins was the last man standing in Art Kane’s classic 1958 photo. And then one morning - on Miles Davis’s 100th birthday, no less - you wake up and find after 95 years of a brilliant life, Rollins, that sax colossus but also much more, has gone.”
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