Editing Dizzy Gillespie (section)

===Final years===
[[File:Dizzy Gillespie01.JPG|thumb|Gillespie in concert, Deauville, [[Normandy]], France, July 1991|left|275x275px]]
In the 1980s, Gillespie led the United Nations Orchestra. For three years [[Flora Purim]] toured with the Orchestra. She credits Gillespie with improving her understanding of jazz.<ref name="Jazzreview">{{Cite web|url=http://www.jazzreview.com/articleprint.cfm?ID=1202|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211123329/http://www.jazzreview.com/articleprint.cfm?ID=1202|url-status=dead|title=Beatrice Richardson for JazzReview interviews Flora Purim – Queen of Brazilian Jazz|archive-date=December 11, 2006|access-date=October 21, 2024}}</ref>

In 1982, he was sought out by [[Motown]] musician [[Stevie Wonder]] to play his solo in Wonder's 1982 hit single, "[[Do I Do]]".

He starred in the film ''[[The Winter in Lisbon]]'' that was released as ''El invierno en Lisboa'' in 1992 and re-released in 2004.<ref name="Bivens">{{cite web|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-winter-in-lisbon-dizzy-gillespie-milan-records-review-by-ollie-bivens.php|title=Dizzy Gillespie: The Winter in Lisbon|last1=Bivens|first1=Ollie|date=December 30, 2004|website=All About Jazz|access-date=July 10, 2018}}</ref> The soundtrack album, featuring him, was recorded in 1990 and released in 1991. The film is a crime drama about a jazz pianist who falls for a dangerous woman while in Portugal with an American expatriate's jazz band.

In December 1991, during an engagement at Kimball's East in Emeryville, California, he suffered a crisis from what turned out to be [[pancreatic cancer]]. He performed one more night but cancelled the rest of the tour for medical reasons, ending his 56-year touring career. He led his last recording session on January 25, 1992.

On November 26, 1992, [[Carnegie Hall]], following the Second [[Baháʼí World Congress]], celebrated Gillespie's 75th birthday concert and his offering to the celebration of the centenary of the passing of [[Baháʼu'lláh]]. Gillespie was to appear at Carnegie Hall for the 33rd time. The line-up included [[Jon Faddis]], [[James Moody (saxophonist)|James Moody]], [[Paquito D'Rivera]], and [[Mike Longo|the Mike Longo Trio]] with Ben Brown on bass and [[Mickey Roker]] on drums. Gillespie was too unwell to attend. "But the musicians played their real hearts out for him, no doubt suspecting that he would not play again. Each musician gave tribute to their friend, this great soul and innovator in the world of jazz."<ref name="Johnson">{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Lowell |title=The Spiritual Side of Dizzy |url=http://bahai-library.com/bafa/g/gillespie.htm |website=bahai-library.com |access-date=December 10, 2018 |date=1993}}</ref>