Can a voice change the course of music forever? Billie Holiday did.

Born Eleanora Fagan in 1915, Billie Holiday transformed jazz and pop singing with a style inspired by instrumentalists, bending phrasing and tempo in ways that were entirely her own. She co-wrote only a few songs, but classics like God Bless the Child, Don’t Explain, Fine and Mellow, and Lady Sings the Blues remain timeless.

Her haunting performances of Strange Fruit, Easy Living, and Good Morning Heartache revealed a depth of emotion that few could match. Yet her life offstage was turbulent, marked by addiction and arrests for drug possession. By the late 1950s, her health declined, and in 1959, she passed away from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis.

Even in her struggles, Billie’s voice continues to resonate, influencing generations of singers and leaving an indelible mark on the world of music. She is buried at Saint Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx, NY.

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