Cleo Laine, Acclaimed Jazz Singer and Actress, Dead at 97
Laine's children, musicians Jacqui and Alec Dankworth shared the news through a released statement: "It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon. We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time".
MUSIC NEWS
Michael Atilano
7/26/20251 min read
Cleo Laine, the first British singer to win a Grammy Award in a jazz category has died at the age of 97. Laine passed away peacefully on July 24, 2025, at age 97, at her home in Wavendon, Buckinghamshire.
Laine was a groundbreaking British jazz singer, vocalist, and actress, celebrated for her extraordinary four-octave vocal range and her seamless artistry across jazz, classical, and musical theatre. She was recognized as Britain’s most successful jazz singer, admired for her rich, smoky contralto and mastery of scat and classical repertoir
Born October 28, 1927 in Southall, Middlesex to a Jamaican father and an English mother, she took early singing and dance lessons before launching a music career in her mid-20s.
She shared the stage and recorded with icons such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, and John Williams.
Laine earned a Grammy Award in 1985 for Cleo at Carnegie: The 10th Anniversary Concert, and remains the only female singer nominated in jazz, pop, and classical Grammy categories. She also had a successful stage career: her Tony-nominated Broadway role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985), and acclaimed performances in Show Boat, Into the Woods, and A Little Night Music.
She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1997 after earlier receiving an OBE in 1977, and she toured and performed well into her 80s.
Cleo Laine’s legacy endures in her vast discography, her international performances, her dramatic stage roles, and the lasting impact of her work with The Stables. She remains a beacon of artistic excellence and inspiration across genres.