Natalie Cole has died at the age of 65, it’s been confirmed.
The R&B, soul and jazz singer – daughter of Nat King Cole – passed away on December 31 in a Los Angeles hospital.
A statement from her family says: “Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived – with dignity, strength and honour.
“Our beloved mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain unforgettable in our hearts for ever.”
Cole began her career as an R&B singer in 1975 before struggling with addiction issues. She returned in the later 1980s with a pop approach, and later enjoyed her greatest success with 1991’s Unforgettable… With Love, which won six Grammys. It included a version of the title track that mixed her voice with her father’s, 25 years after his death.
She was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008 as a result of her drug use in earlier years, and had a kidney transplant the following year.
She’d recently cancelled a run of shows.
