Jazz pianist legend Ahmad Jamal passed away at the age of 92 on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Jamal's profound influence on generations of musicians and jazz artists will be sorely missed.

Ahmad Jamal's cause of death was initially undisclosed.

Cause of Death Revealed The Washington Post first reported the iconic jazz pianist's passing. His daughter, Sumayah Jamal, confirmed her father's death to Rolling Stone, revealing that Ahmad Jamal succumbed to prostate cancer after a long and difficult battle with the illness. Sumayah shared that her father passed away at their home in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts.

Ahmad Jamal's Musical Journey Born in July 1930 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as Frederick Rusell Jones, Ahmad Jamal began playing the piano at the age of three, encouraged by his uncle. By the age of seven, he was taking piano lessons under the guidance of Mary Cardwell Dawson.

Jamal immersed himself in Pittsburgh's jazz scene, drawing inspiration from artists such as Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, Earl Hines, and Erroll Garner. He received training from James Miller and became a professional pianist by the age of 14.

Discussing his practice habits, Jamal told The New York Times, "I used to practice and practice with the door open, hoping someone would come by and discover me. I was never the practitioner in the sense of twelve hours a day, but I always thought about music. I think about music all the time."

Rolling Stone reported that Ahmad Jamal initially performed as Fritz Jones, a nod to his birth name. However, after converting to the Muslim faith in the 1950s, he became one of the first African American artists to do so publicly and adopted the name Ahmad Jamal.

Ahmad Jamal's Accolades and Honors In 1981, Jamal earned his first Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental R&B Performance for "You're Welcome" and "Stop on By." He was later recognized as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 2017, The Recording Academy honored Jamal with a lifetime achievement award, celebrating his exceptional contributions to jazz education and his lasting impact on the jazz and music community as a whole.