Legendary jazz musician Ramsey Lewis, known for hits such as “The In Crowd” and “Wade in the Water,” has died. He died on the morning of Sept. 12 at his home in Chicago. He was 87.
What was Ramsey Lewis’ cause of death? A cause of death was not stated. However, Lewis died in his sleep at his Chicago home, according to his son, Bobby Lewis.
Lewis is revered in jazz circles for 1960s hits like “The ‘In’ Crowd,” “Hang on Sloopy” and “Wade in the Water.” He earned three Grammy awards and seven gold records.
During his career, illustrious career, Lewis performed with musical stars such as Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau and Pat Metheney and had more than 80 albums to his credit — three dozen of them with Chicago-based Chess Records.
Lewis toured around the world and performed at the 1995 state dinner that then-President Bill Clinton hosted for President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil.
In addition to his son, Lewis is also survived by his wife, Janet; daughters Denise Jeffries and Dawn Allain; two other sons Kendall Kelly Lewis and Frayne Lewis; and a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.