‘INSPIRED MUSICIAN’

Influential Jazz Pianist McCoy Tyner Dead at 81

Tyner helped shape jazz, influencing all the musicians who came after him, as part of John Coltrane’s quartet in the 1960s.

Alfred “McCoy” Tyner, a Grammy-winning jazz pianist who was part of John Coltrane’s influential quartet in the 1960s, died at the age of 81. “McCoy was an inspired musician who devoted his life to his art, his family and his spirituality,” an announcement on his Facebook page read. “McCoy Tyner’s music and legacy will continue to inspire fans and future talent for generations to come.” The statement did not provide a cause of death or any other details. Tyner’s role in Coltrane’s quartet helped shaped jazz in the 1960s, with his piano being heard in songs like “My Favorite Things” and “A Love Supreme.” After he left the quartet in 1965, he remained revered in the jazz scene while spearheading his own band and working on solo recordings later in his career. Tyner was named the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2002, one of the highest honors a jazz musician can earn in the U.S.