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Legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins dies aged 95

Legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins has died aged 95.

The iconic musician, fondly known as The Saxophone Colossus, was lauded for his improvisational skills and had worked with stars including Miles Davis, the Rolling Stones and Thelonious Monk.

He died on Monday at his home in Woodstock, New York.

Rollins' long-time publicist Terri Hinte confirmed his passing, with a cause of death not yet available.

"It is with deep sorrow and profound love that we announce the passing of Sonny Rollins. The Saxophone Colossus died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY at the age of 95," read a post from his official account.

"He is survived by his nephew Clifton Anderson and his nieces Vallyn Anderson and Gabrielle DeGroat. No public memorial is planned at this time."

Hinte concluded the statement with a quote Rollins had given in 2009.

"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," Rollins said at the time.

Rollins famously recorded sax solos for Waiting on a Friend and Slave, both of which appeared on the Rolling Stones' 1981 album Tattoo You.

The star also worked alongside Miles Davis on Bags' Groove, Dig and Collectors' Items.

As well as working alongside some of music's biggest names, Rollins released a series of pioneering albums as a band leader.

Rollins showed a love for music from an early age and first began playing the piano before switching to sax when his mother bought him an alto saxophone when he was seven.

"I was in seventh heaven. My mother had to call me: 'It's time to eat dinner and come out.' I could have been there forever," he previously told Jazz Times.

One of Rollins' earliest recorded appearances was on The Amazing Bud Powell in 1949, hailed as a landmark in the hard bop genre the musician would later pioneer.

Following time in prison for armed robbery, he overcome heroin addiction and was clean by the mid 50s.

Rollins career spanned from the 1940s until his retirement in 2014.

Photo: Cover Media
Source: Cover Media
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