Billie Holiday died on this date in 1959. She was 44.
Considered by many to be the greatest jazz vocalist of all time, Billie Holiday lived a tempestuous and difficult life. Her singing expressed an incredible depth of emotion that spoke of hard times and injustice as well as triumph. Though her career was relatively short and often erratic, she left behind a body of work as great as any vocalist before or since.
Indeed. Treat yourself.
Update: iTunes has a 65-track DRM-free Billie Holiday album for $10 (I cannot locate any background on this album, released Tuesday, but it seems an incredible buy.)