Legendary Jazz Trumpeter Marcus Belgrave Dies Aged 78

Pennsylvania-born, Detroit-based jazz-trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave has passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the age of 78, it has been confirmed.

Belgrave died on 24 May, 2015, of heart failure, following hospitalisation last month for treatment of complications arising from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, according to jazz-focused outlet JazzTimes.

During his career, Belgrave had performed as part of Ray Charles' orchestra as well as on-stage with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, releasing several albums as the leader of his own band from the mid-1970s onwards. Belgrave was also named a Jazz Master Laureate for the city of Detroit, worked as an academic for Oakland University, and gave guest lectures as a professor of jazz trumpet at the Oberlin Conservatory.

Belgrave is survived by his vocalist wife, Joan. His last public performance was on 17 April in Durham, North Carolina, where he joined a trumpet "summit" with fellow horn heroes Russell Gunn and Rayse Biggs, while former Conservatory students of his include Regina Carter, Geri Allen, Rodney Whitaker, and Ghostbusters theme scribe Ray Parker Jr.

"He became a mentor to entire generations of musicians, and a lot of us would not have found the music without him," Whitaker told the Detroit Free Press. 

"He brought us together. I have not met one musician from the last 50 years in Detroit that Marcus has not had some sort of impact on."

Kick back with some vintage Belgrave below.