Jazz
Jazz icon Sonny Rollins, the Saxophone Colossus, dies at 95
Jazz legend Sonny Rollins has died at 95, leaving behind a towering legacy as one of the most influential saxophonists in American music.
Sonny Rollins - the trailblazing saxophonist whose fearless improvisation earned him the title “Saxophone Colossus” - has died at the age of 95.
His publicist confirmed he passed away on Monday (25.05.26) at his home in Woodstock, New York. A cause of death has not been shared.
Rollins stepped away from performing in 2014 after developing respiratory problems linked to pulmonary fibrosis, bringing an extraordinary seven‑decade career to a close.
Alongside the announcement of his death, a reflective quote from 2009 was shared, revealing the spiritual outlook that shaped much of his life.
He said: “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.”
His influence on jazz was immense.
Rollins was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004 Grammys, and in 2016 the Library of Congress added his landmark 1956 album Saxophone Colossus to the National Recording Registry.
Several of his compositions - including St. Thomas, Oleo, Doxy and Airegin - have become essential standards for generations of musicians.
One of the most famous chapters of his life came in the late 1950s, when Rollins took a break from performing to rebuild his technique.
With nowhere to practise at full volume, he spent hours each day rehearsing on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge, a period he later described as transformative. The image of Rollins silhouetted against the skyline became so iconic that the bridge itself is now part of jazz folklore.
His final studio album, Sonny, Please, arrived in 2006 and reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
In 2023, he sold his catalogue to Reservoir Media, and the following year released The Notebooks of Sonny Rollins, a collection of personal writings dating back to 1959.
The last entry, written in 2010, carried a simple mantra: “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.”
Rollins lived near the World Trade Center and famously grabbed his saxophone before evacuating with his wife on September 11, 2001. He later reflected that the experience taught him “possessions are not where it’s at.”
His impact reached far beyond music.
Former US President Barack Obama awarded him the National Medal of the Arts in 2019, saying Rollins inspired him to “take risks.”
He even made a cameo of sorts on The Simpsons, appearing in the episode Whiskey Business.
