Legendary jazz and blues singer Nina Simone has died aged 70 at her home in Southern France. Simone has been in the public eye ever since her debut release, Gershwin's 'I Love You Porgy' in 1959. Musically she will probably be best remembered for the classic 'My Baby Just Cares For Me', though history may also focus on her conviction to the black civil rights movement of the fifties and sixties, and her associations with both the radical black playwright Lorraine Hansberry and the controversial Malcolm X.
Announcing her death her manager Clifton Henderson told reporters: "It is with great regret and sadness that we announce the death of the legendary jazz singer, the great Nina Simone, who died this morning at her home. She had not been feeling very well for quite a while."
Among the artists making tributes was soul singer India Arie, who told Associated Press: "She was ahead of her time as a concert-level piano player who sang, wrote and spoke her mind. I aspire to be more like her."