March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965
Nat King Cole was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama. He began playing music at an early age and eventually began performing under the name “Nat Cole.” He added “King” from a nickname he ultimately acquired from performing regularly at a jazz club. Nat King Cole recorded his music essentially until his death. His album L-O-V-E was recorded in December 1964, just months before his death. Mr. Cole died of lunch cancer in February 1965 after years of smoking.
Cole’s legend continues to live on. His famous daughter, Natalie Cole, recorded a track to pair with her father’s song “Unforgettable,” which went on to win the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1991.1
It is said that “At his funeral, Jack Benny offered this epitaph: ‘Sometimes death is not as tragic as not knowing how to live. This man knew how to live and how to make others glad they were living.’”2
1Grammy Awards Past Winner Search
2Tod Benoit, Where Are They Buried? (New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.), 415.
