Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Music critic Ralph J. Gleason called him "America's most important composer". April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974; died at 75. Alive at the same time as Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Leo Tolstoy, Pablo Picasso, and Pope Francis. Wiki link