Editing Nat King Cole

{{Short description|American singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name              = Nat King Cole
| image             = File:Nat King Cole 1959.JPG
| caption           = Cole in 1958
| birth_name        = Nathaniel Adams Coles
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1919|03|17}}
| birth_place       = [[Montgomery, Alabama]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1965|02|15|1919|03|17}}
| death_place       = [[Santa Monica, California]], U.S.
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|pianist|actor}}
| years_active      = 1934–1965
| spouse            = {{ubl|{{Marriage|Nadine Robinson|1937|1948|reason=div}}|{{Marriage|[[Maria Cole|Maria Hawkings]]|1948}}}}
| children          = 5, including [[Natalie Cole|Natalie]] and [[Carole Cole|Carole]]
| module            = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed             = yes
| alias             = Nat "King" Cole
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]|[[jazz]]|[[traditional pop]]|[[easy listening]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|pianist|actor}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|piano}}
| discography       = [[Nat King Cole discography]]
| label             = {{hlist|[[Ammor Records|Ammor]]|[[Excelsior Records|Excelsior]]|[[Decca Records|Decca]]|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]}}
}}
| signature        = Nat King Cole signature.svg
}}

'''Nathaniel Adams Coles''' <!-- NOT AN ERROR, it was actually "Coles" -->(March 17, 1919&nbsp;– February 15, 1965),<ref>Many sources formerly gave a 1917 birth year, and that appeared on 1994's U.S. postage stamp, which his widow contested. See "Cole's Widow Says New Stamp Has Incorrect Date of Birth," Jet 86:18 (5 September 1994), 56.</ref> known professionally as '''Nat King Cole''', alternatively billed as '''Nat "King" Cole''', was an American singer, [[jazz]] pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and [[Traditional pop|pop]] vocalist started in the late 1930s and spanned almost three decades where he found success and recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts.

Cole started his career as a [[jazz pianist]] in the late 1930s, when he formed the King Cole Trio, which became the top-selling group (and the only black act) on [[Capitol Records]] in the 1940s. Cole's trio was the model for small [[jazz band|jazz ensembles]] that followed. Starting in 1950, he transitioned to become a solo singer billed as Nat King Cole. Despite achieving mainstream success, Cole faced intense [[racial discrimination]] during his career. While not a major vocal public figure in the [[civil rights movement]], Cole was a member of his local [[NAACP]] branch and participated in the 1963 [[March on Washington]]. He regularly performed for civil rights organizations. From 1956 to 1957, Cole hosted the [[NBC]] variety series ''The Nat King Cole Show'', which became the first nationally broadcast television show hosted by a black American.

Some of Cole's most notable singles include "[[Unforgettable (Nat King Cole song)|Unforgettable]]", "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]", "[[L-O-V-E]]", "[[Nature Boy]]", "[[When I Fall in Love]]", "[[Let There Be Love (1940 song)|Let There Be Love]]", "[[Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]]", "[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]", "[[Stardust (1927 song)|Stardust]]", "[[Straighten Up and Fly Right]]", "[[The Very Thought of You]]", "[[(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons|For Sentimental Reasons]]", "[[Embraceable You]]" and "[[Almost Like Being in Love]]". His 1960 Christmas album ''[[The Magic of Christmas (Nat King Cole album)|The Magic of Christmas]]'' (also known as ''The Christmas Song''), is the [[List of best-selling Christmas albums in the United States|best-selling Christmas album]] released in the 1960s; and was ranked as one of the 40 essential Christmas albums (2019) by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Edwards |first=Gavin |date=2019-11-30 |title=40 Essential Christmas Albums |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/40-essential-christmas-albums-35316/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=2021-12-24}}</ref> In 2022, Cole's recording of "[[The Christmas Song]]", broke the record for the longest journey to the top ten on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], when it peaked at number nine, 62 years after it debuted on the chart; and was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the United States [[National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Thania |date=2023-01-03 |title=SZA's 'SOS' Rules Album Chart for Third Week; Nat King Cole's 'Christmas Song' Finally Hits Top 10 After 62 Years |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/sza-sos-top-album-chart-billboard-holiday-music-1235477689/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2022-04-13 |title=Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Wu-Tang Clan & More Selected for 2022 National Recording Registry: See the Full List |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/alici2022-national-recording-registry-inductions-full-list-1235057483/ |access-date=2023-08-16 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

Cole received numerous accolades including a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] (1960) and a Special Achievement [[Golden Globe Award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nat King Cole |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/nat-king-cole |access-date=January 2, 2023 |website=Golden Globe Award |archive-date=March 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322063233/https://www.goldenglobes.com/person/nat-king-cole |url-status=dead }}</ref> Posthumously, Cole has received the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] (1990), along with the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame|Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award]] (1992) and has been inducted into the [[DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame|''DownBeat'' Jazz Hall of Fame]]  (1997), [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] (2000), and the [[National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame]] (2020). [[NPR]] named him one of the [[50 Great Voices]]. Cole was the father of singer [[Natalie Cole]] (1950–2015), who covered her father's songs in the 1991 album ''[[Unforgettable... with Love]]''.

==Early life==
Nathaniel Adams Coles was born in [[Montgomery, Alabama]], on March 17, 1919.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040219014525/http://www.nat-king-cole.org/biography.html Biography]}} NatKingCole.org </ref> He had three brothers: [[Eddie Cole (musician)|Eddie]] (1910–1970), [[Ike Cole|Ike]] (1927–2001), and [[Freddy Cole|Freddy]] (1931–2020),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/cole_f.html|title=NPR's Jazz Profiles: Freddy Cole|website=www.npr.org|access-date=June 16, 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195224/http://news.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/cole_f.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and a half-sister, Joyce Coles.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2015/06/12/how-i-got-the-jazz-gene-seven-artists-reveal-their-roots.html|title=How I got the jazz gene: seven artists reveal their roots|newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=May 26, 2017|last1=Crawford|first1=Trish|archive-date=August 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822215432/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2015/06/12/how-i-got-the-jazz-gene-seven-artists-reveal-their-roots.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Each of the Coles brothers pursued careers in music.<ref name=":0" /> When Cole was four years old, the family moved to [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], where his father, Edward, became a [[Baptists|Baptist]] minister.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38486512/ | title=The Pittsburgh Courier from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 13, 1965 · Page 2 | work=Newspapers.com | access-date=May 26, 2017 | archive-date=September 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903032538/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38486512/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Cole learned to play the [[Organ (music)|organ]] from his mother, Perlina (Adams) Coles, the church organist.<ref name="Jr.2011">{{cite book |last=Hornsby |first=Alton Jr. |title=Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TkGMnE6g1qMC&pg=PA12 |year= 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0313341120 |pages=12– |access-date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806170243/https://books.google.com/books?id=TkGMnE6g1qMC&pg=PA12 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ssMBzqrUpjwC&dq=Perlina+(Adams)+Coles&pg=PA119 | title=Notable Black American Women | isbn=978-0-8103-9177-2 | last1=Smith | first1=Jessie Carney | date=1992 | publisher=VNR AG }}</ref> His first performance was "[[Yes! We Have No Bananas]]" at the age of four.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-nat-king-cole-19650216-story.html |title=From the Archives: Nat 'King' Cole dies of cancer at 45 |date=February 16, 1965 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 26, 2017 |issn=0458-3035 |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522172735/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-nat-king-cole-19650216-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cole began formal [[piano]] lessons at 12,<ref name="LLC1990">{{cite magazine |title=Blue Light Special|magazine=Spin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KFnjqV3F0AC&pg=RA1-PA2002 |date=June 1990 |pages=1– |access-date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806180456/https://books.google.com/books?id=0KFnjqV3F0AC&pg=RA1-PA2002 |url-status=live }}</ref> learning [[jazz]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], and [[classical music]] "from [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] to [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]]".<ref name="Ruuth1992">{{cite book|last=Ruuth|first=Marianne|title=Nat King Cole|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-k6G_T83wRIC&pg=PA32|year=1992|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|isbn=978-0870675935|pages=32–|access-date=May 26, 2017|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806195342/https://books.google.com/books?id=-k6G_T83wRIC&pg=PA32|url-status=live}}</ref> As a youth, Cole joined the news delivery boys' "[[Bud Billiken Club]]" band for ''[[The Chicago Defender]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/8/9/18394524/bud-billiken-day-parade-reaches-89th-year |title=Bud Billiken Day Parade reaches 89th year |last=Hinton |first=Rachel |date=August 9, 2018 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807170828/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/8/9/18394524/bud-billiken-day-parade-reaches-89th-year |url-status=live }}</ref>

Cole and his family moved to the [[Bronzeville, Chicago|Bronzeville]] neighborhood of Chicago,<ref name="Jr.2007">{{cite book|last=Brewer |first=John M. Jr.|title=Pittsburgh Jazz|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_P7HunpICbYC&pg=PT37|year= 2007|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1439634646|pages=37–|access-date=May 26, 2017|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806232353/https://books.google.com/books?id=_P7HunpICbYC&pg=PT37|url-status=live}}</ref> where Cole attended [[Wendell Phillips Academy High School]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/12/15/phillips-high-school-is-cradle-of-history/|title=Phillips High School is cradle of history|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=May 26, 2017|archive-date=September 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903142436/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-12-15/news/0212150244_1_new-uniforms-harlem-globetrotters-american-stock-exchange|url-status=live}}</ref> the school [[Sam Cooke]] attended a few years later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2006/01/19/5163408/tracing-the-highs-and-tragic-end-of-sam-cooke|title=Tracing the Highs and Tragic End of Sam Cooke|newspaper=NPR|date=January 19, 2006|access-date=May 26, 2017|archive-date=May 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509141939/http://www.npr.org/2006/01/19/5163408/tracing-the-highs-and-tragic-end-of-sam-cooke/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cole participated in [[Walter Dyett]]'s music program at [[DuSable High School]].<ref name="Bonner2011">{{cite book |last=Bonner |first=Wilma F. |title=The Sumner Story: Capturing Our History Preserving Our Legacy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1bb7OdRybtIC&pg=PA162 |year= 2011 |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |isbn=978-1600377822 |pages=162– |access-date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806200218/https://books.google.com/books?id=1bb7OdRybtIC&pg=PA162 |url-status=live }}</ref> He would sneak out of the house to visit clubs, sitting outside to hear [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Earl Hines]], and [[Jimmie Noone]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.historychannel.com.au/articles/nat-king-cole-is-born/ |title=Nat "King" Cole Is Born |date=June 20, 2016 |work=History Channel |access-date=May 26, 2017 |archive-date=September 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903115042/https://www.historychannel.com.au/articles/nat-king-cole-is-born/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
[[File:Portrait of Nat King Cole, Paramount Theater, New York, N.Y., ca. Nov. 1946 LOC 4931764947 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Nat King Cole, Paramount Theater, New York City, November 1946]]
When he was 15, Cole dropped out of high school to pursue a music career. After his brother Eddie, a bassist, came home from touring with [[Noble Sissle]], they formed a sextet and recorded two singles for [[Decca Records|Decca]] in 1936 as Eddie Cole's Swingsters. They performed in a revival of the musical ''[[Shuffle Along]]''. Nat Cole went on tour with the musical. In 1937, he married Nadine Robinson, who was a member of the cast. After the show ended in Los Angeles, Cole and Nadine settled there while he looked for work.<ref name="Ruhlmann"/>

One day in 1938, as he was relaxing in his hotel room, Bing Crosby heard the Nat Cole Trio for the first time from Jim Otto’s Steak House, and then took Johnny Mercer to hear them. Crosby soon had the trio on his ''[[Kraft Music Hall]]'' radio program, and Mercer would later sign them upon founding [[Capitol Records]]. In 1944, “Straighten Up and Fly Right” soared to the top of the charts.
With Crosby continually bringing them back on his program, the Trio even substituted for him in the summer of 1946.
 
Cole led a big band and found work playing piano in nightclubs. When a club owner asked him to form a band, Cole hired bassist [[Wesley Prince]] and guitarist [[Oscar Moore]]. They called themselves the King Cole Swingsters after the nursery rhyme in which "[[Old King Cole|Old King Cole was a merry old soul]]". They changed their name to the King Cole Trio before making [[transcription disc|radio transcription]]s and recording for small labels.<ref name="Ruhlmann">{{cite web|last1=Ruhlmann|first1=William|title=Nat King Cole|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=February 22, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331114204/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1940s===
Cole recorded "[[Sweet Lorraine]]" in 1940, and it became his first hit.<ref name="Yanow Swing">{{cite book|last1=Yanow|first1=Scott|title=Swing|date=2000|publisher=Miller Freeman|location=San Francisco|isbn=978-0879306007|page=[https://archive.org/details/swing00yano/page/203 203]|url=https://archive.org/details/swing00yano/page/203}}</ref> According to legend, his career as a vocalist started when a drunken bar patron demanded that Cole sing the song. He said that this fabricated story sounded good, so Cole did not argue with it. There was a customer one night who demanded that he sing, but because it was a song Cole did not know, he sang "Sweet Lorraine" instead. As people heard Cole's vocal talent, they requested more vocal songs, and he obliged.<ref name="Intimate">{{cite book|last1=Cole| first1=Maria| title=Nat King Cole: An Intimate Biography|url=https://archive.org/details/natkingcoleintim00cole|url-access=registration|year=1971|publisher= William Morrow|isbn=978-0688021535}}</ref>

In 1941, the trio recorded "That Ain't Right" for Decca, followed the next year by "All for You" for [[Excelsior Records|Excelsior]].<ref name="Ruhlmann" /> They recorded "[[I'm Lost]]", a song written by [[Otis René]], the owner of Excelsior.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170315223539/https://books.google.com/books?id=jRgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85&dq=%22Excelsior+Records%22+Rene&source=bl&ots=WGb7s0l1Un&sig=4d9p5VXP5s9T0nsJFji0eYTXagY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=FyZHT9rsHIHh0QHww_WCDg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBA "Buck-Five Disk of Indies Seen Different Ways"]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. September 1, 1945. Retrieved February 24, 2012.</ref>

{{blockquote |quote=I started out to become a jazz pianist; in the meantime I started singing and I sang the way I felt and that's just the way it came out.|source=Nat King Cole, Voice of America interview, {{Circa|1956}}.<ref name=pc22>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19775/m1/ |title=Show 22 – Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66: A Skinny Dip in the Easy Listening Mainstream. [Part 1] |show=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1692127/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402023122/http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/john-gilliland/index-to-interviews | archive-date=April 2, 2009 |title=Pop Chronicles Interviews #131 - Nat "King" Cole |work=[[Pop Chronicles]] |publisher=University of North Texas Libraries}}</ref>}}

Cole was the original house pianist for [[Jazz at the Philharmonic]] and performed at the first recorded concert in 1944. He was credited on [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] as "Shorty Nadine", a derivative of his wife's name, because Cole had an exclusive contract with [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]<ref>{{cite web|author1=Holmes, Roy|author2=Windisch, Simon|url=http://highstreets.co.uk/kcc/html/biograph.htm|title=Nat King Cole Biography|website=Highstreets.co.uk|access-date=January 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116040836/http://highstreets.co.uk/kcc/html/biograph.htm|archive-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> since signing with the label the year before. He used a variety of other [[pseudonym]]s for the same reason, including Eddie Laguna, Sam Schmaltz, Nature Boy and A Guy, "or whatever name for himself he could think of, but only as an instrumentalist, never as a vocalist."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ruuth |first1=Marianne |title=Nat King Cole |year=1992 |url=https://archive.org/details/natkingcole0000ruut/page/66/mode/1up |url-access=registration|publisher=Melrose Square Pub. Co |isbn=
9780870675935 |series=Melrose Square Black American series |location=[[Los Angeles]] |page=66  |oclc=26884864 |access-date=16 January 2024}}</ref> Cole recorded with [[Illinois Jacquet]] and [[Lester Young]].<ref name="Yanow Swing" />

[[File:Nat King Cole Oscar Moore Johnny Miller King Cole Trio 1947.JPG|thumb|180px|''King Cole Trio Time'' on NBC with Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Johnny Miller on double bass, 1947]]

In 1946, the trio broadcast ''King Cole Trio Time'', a 15-minute radio program. This was the first radio program to be hosted by a black musician. From 1946 to 1948, the trio recorded [[transcription disc|radio transcription]]s for Capitol Records Transcription Service.<ref>{{cite news|title=Capitol Transcriptions ad| url= http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-06-28-BC.pdf|access-date=December 22, 2014| agency= Broadcasting|date=June 28, 1948}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs|url=http://www.otrsite.com/logs/logk1025.htm/|access-date=June 3, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224222107/http://www.otrsite.com/logs/logk1025.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> They performed on the radio programs ''Swing Soiree'', ''[[Lorillard Tobacco Company|Old Gold]]'', ''[[The Chesterfield Supper Club]]'', ''[[Kraft Music Hall]]'', and ''[[The Orson Welles Almanac]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=Radio%20Almanac | title=Radio Almanac | publisher=RadioGOLDINdex | access-date=February 13, 2014 | archive-date=September 15, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915215501/http://radiogoldindex.com/cgi-local/p2.cgi?ProgramName=Radio%20Almanac | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Almanac Part 1">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/1944OrsonWellesRadioAlmanacpart1 |title=Orson Welles Almanac — Part 1 |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=February 13, 2014}}</ref>

Cole began recording and performing pop-oriented material in which he was often accompanied by a [[string orchestra]]. Cole's stature as a popular star was cemented by hits such as "All for You" (1943), "[[The Christmas Song]]" (1947),<ref>Cole recorded "The Christmas Song" four times&nbsp;— on June 14, 1946, with the Nat King Cole Trio; on August 19, 1946, with an added string section; on August 24, 1953; and in 1961 for the double album ''The Nat King Cole Story''. The final version, recorded in stereo, is the one most often heard today.</ref> "[[Route 66 (song)|(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66]]", "[[(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons]]" (1946), "[[There! I've Said It Again]]" (1947), "[[Nature Boy]]" (1948), "[[Frosty the Snowman]]", "[[Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole song)|Mona Lisa]]" (No. 1 song of 1950), "[[Orange Colored Sky]]" (1950), "[[Too Young (Sidney Lippman and Sylvia Dee song)|Too Young]]" (the No. 1 song of 1951).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1951 |title=''Billboard'' website |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 4, 2010 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107001535/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1951 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 1950s ===
On June 7, 1953, Cole performed for the ninth [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concert held at [[Wrigley Field]] in Chicago which was produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.]]. Featured that day were [[Roy Brown (blues musician)|Roy Brown]] and his Orchestra, [[Shorty Rogers]], [[Earl Bostic]], [[Don Tosti]] and His Mexican Jazzmen, and [[Louis Armstrong]] and his All Stars with [[Velma Middleton]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Black music history of Los Angeles, its roots : 50 years in Black music : a classical pictorial history of Los Angeles Black music of the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s : photographic essays that define the people, the artistry and their contributions to the wonderful world of entertainment|last=Reed, Tom.|date=1992|publisher=Black Accent on L.A. Press|isbn=096329086X|edition=1st, limited|location=Los Angeles|oclc=28801394}}</ref><ref>"Nat King Cole Star of Cavalcade", Headliner AD ''Los Angeles Sentinel'', May 28, 1953.</ref>

On November 5, 1956, ''The Nat 'King' Cole Show'' debuted on NBC. The variety program was one of the first hosted by an African American.<ref name="Smithsonian">{{cite web|last1=Chilton|first1=Karen|title=Hazel Scott's Lifetime of High Notes|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/womens-history/hazel-scotts-lifetime-of-high-notes-145939027/|website=smithsonian.com|publisher=Smithsonian|access-date=November 30, 2016|date=October 15, 2009|quote=[Hazel Scott was] the first black performer to host her own nationally syndicated television show....|archive-date=January 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130020258/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/womens-history/hazel-scotts-lifetime-of-high-notes-145939027/|url-status=live}}</ref> The program started at a length of fifteen minutes but was increased to a half-hour in July 1957. [[Rheingold Beer]] was a regional sponsor, but a national sponsor was never found. The show was in trouble financially despite efforts by NBC, [[Harry Belafonte]], [[Tony Bennett]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Eartha Kitt]], [[Frankie Laine]], [[Peggy Lee]], and [[Mel Tormé]].<ref name=Shulman>{{cite book |last1=Shulman |first1=Arthur |last2=Youman |first2=Roger |title=How Sweet It Was — Television: A Pictorial Commentary |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History-of-Telecasting/How-Sweet-it-Was-Shulman-1966.pdf |year=1966 |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group#Imprints|Bonanza Books]], a division of Crown Publishers, Inc., by arrangement with Shorecrest, Inc. |location=New York |oclc=36258864 |chapter=Chapter 3: The Sounds of Music |isbn=978-0517081358 |quote= |access-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021035805/https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History-of-Telecasting/How-Sweet-it-Was-Shulman-1966.pdf |url-status=live }} (Book has page numbers)</ref> Cole decided to end the program. The last episode aired on December 17, 1957.<ref name="Gourse">{{cite book |last1=Gourse |first1=Leslie |title=Unforgettable : the life and mystique of Nat King Cole |url=https://archive.org/details/unforgettable00lesl |url-access=registration |date=1991 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/unforgettable00lesl/page/185 185] |isbn=978-0312078775 |quote=The network supported this show from the beginning. From Mr. Sarnoff on down, they tried to sell it to agencies. They could have dropped it after the first thirteen weeks. Shows that made more money than mine were dropped. They offered me a new time at 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays on a cooperative basis, but I decided not to take it. I feel played out.}}</ref> Commenting on the lack of sponsorship, Cole said shortly after its demise: "[[Madison Avenue#Advertising industry|Madison Avenue]] is afraid of the dark."<ref>[http://www.quotesstar.com/quotes/m/madison-avenue-is-afraid-of-171261.html "Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark"], ''Star Quotes''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107135845/http://www.quotesstar.com/quotes/m/madison-avenue-is-afraid-of-171261.html|date=November 7, 2011}} "(1956) Quoted in article at the Songwriters Hall of Fame."</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://adage.com/article?article_id=133638 |title=Study: Ad Agencies Exhibit 'Pervasive Racial Discrimination' &#124; News |website=AdAge.com |date=January 8, 2009 |access-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref>

Throughout the 1950s, Cole continued to record hits that sold millions throughout the world, such as "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]", "[[Pretend (1952 song)|Pretend]]", "[[A Blossom Fell]]", and "If I May". His pop hits were collaborations with [[Nelson Riddle]],<ref name=pc22/> [[Gordon Jenkins]], and [[Ralph Carmichael]]. Riddle arranged several of Cole's 1950s albums, including ''Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love'' (1953), his first 10-inch LP. In 1955, "[[Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup]]" reached number 7 on the ''Billboard'' chart. ''[[Love Is the Thing]]'' went to number one in April 1957 and remained his only number one album.

In 1959, Cole received a Grammy Award for [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Performance By a "Top 40" Artist]] for "Midnight Flyer".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1959-239.html |title=Grammy Awards 1959 |work=Grammy |access-date=February 17, 2016 |archive-date=September 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920103207/http://www.awardsandshows.com/features/grammy-awards-1959-239.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Capitol Records Building LA.jpg|thumb|The [[Capitol Records Building]], known as "The House That Nat Built" on [[Vine St.]]]]

In 1958, Cole went to Havana, Cuba, to record ''[[Cole Español]]'', an album sung entirely in Spanish. It was so popular in Latin America and the U.S. that it was followed by two more Spanish-language albums: ''[[A Mis Amigos]]'' (1959) and ''[[More Cole Español]]'' (1962).

After the change in musical tastes, Cole's ballads appealed little to young listeners, despite a successful attempt at rock and roll with "[[Send for Me (song)|Send for Me]]",<ref name=pc22/> which peaked at number 6 on the pop chart. Like [[Dean Martin]], [[Frank Sinatra]], and [[Tony Bennett]], Cole found that the pop chart had been taken over by youth-oriented acts.

=== 1960s ===
In 1960, Cole's longtime collaborator Nelson Riddle left Capitol to join [[Reprise Records]], which was established by Frank Sinatra. Riddle and Cole recorded one final hit album, ''Wild Is Love'', with lyrics by [[Raymond Rasch|Ray Rasch]] and Dotty Wayne. Cole later retooled the concept album into an [[Off-Broadway]] show, ''I'm with You''.

Nevertheless, Cole recorded several hit singles during the 1960s, including "Let There Be Love" with [[George Shearing]] in 1961, the country-flavored hit "[[Ramblin' Rose]]" in August 1962 (reaching No.  2 on the Pop chart), "[[Dear Lonely Hearts]]" (No. 13), "[[That Sunday, That Summer]]" (No. 12) and "[[Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer (song)|Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer]]"<ref name=pc22/> (his final top-ten hit, reaching number 6 on the Pop chart). Cole performed in many short films, sitcoms, and television shows and played [[W. C. Handy]] in the film ''[[St. Louis Blues (1958 film)|St. Louis Blues]]'' (1958). Cole appeared in ''The Nat King Cole Story'', ''[[China Gate (1957 film)|China Gate]]'', and ''[[The Blue Gardenia]]'' (1953).

In January 1964, Cole made one of his final television appearances, on ''[[The Jack Benny Program]]''. He was introduced as "the best friend a song ever had" and sang "[[When I Fall in Love]]". ''[[Cat Ballou]]'' (1965), Cole's final film, was released several months after his death.

Earlier on, Cole's shift to traditional pop led some jazz critics and fans to accuse him of selling out, but he never abandoned his jazz roots; as late as 1956, Cole recorded an all-jazz album, ''[[After Midnight (Nat King Cole album)|After Midnight]]'', and many of his albums after this are fundamentally jazz-based, being scored for big band without strings, although the arrangements focus primarily on the vocal rather than instrumental leads.

Cole had one of his last major hits in 1963, two years before his death, with "[[Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer (song)|Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer]]", which reached number 6 on the Pop chart. "[[Unforgettable (Nat King Cole song)|Unforgettable]]" was made famous again in 1991 by Cole's daughter Natalie when modern recording technology was used to reunite father and daughter in a duet. The duet version rose to the top of the pop charts, almost forty years after its original popularity.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Teachout|first1=Terry|title=Nat King Cole|journal=The American Scholar|date=1992|volume=26|url=http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=6f10b1ac-7023-4d70-927f-78a426b5840c%40sessionmgr111&vid=0&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rih&AN=1992-02661|access-date=October 1, 2014|archive-date=February 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215154832/https://shibboleth.arizona.edu/idp/profile/SAML2/POST/SSO;jsessionid=node01m0jwzyai780m1t37bn8bgbup82094183.node0?execution=e1s1#db=rih&AN=1992-02661|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cole's final studio album was titled ''[[L-O-V-E]]''. The album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Albums chart in the spring of 1965.

==Personal life==
Around the time Cole launched his singing career, he entered into [[Freemasonry]]. Cole was raised in January 1944 in the Thomas Waller Lodge No. 49 in California. The lodge was named after fellow [[Prince Hall Freemasonry|Prince Hall]] mason and jazz musician [[Fats Waller]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.pinallodge30.com/famousmasons.aspx| title=Famous Masons| publisher=Pinal Lodge No. 30| quotation=member of Thomas Waller Lodge No. 49, of Los Angeles, CA, being initiated on January 9, 1944, the lodge appropriately named for another legendary jazz musician, Fats Waller, himself a Prince Hall Freemason.| access-date=September 30, 2018| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224182230/http://www.pinallodge30.com/famousmasons.aspx| archive-date=December 24, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.matawanlodge.org/famous.htm | title = U.S. Notable Freemasons | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080510153526/http://www.matawanlodge.org/famous.htm |publisher=Matawan Lodge No. 192| archive-date = May 10, 2008 | url-status=usurped}}</ref> Cole joined the [[Scottish Rite Freemasonry]],<ref name="businessinsider.com">{{cite web | author1 = C. Sterbenz | author2 = R. Johnson | url = https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-influential-freemasons-2014-3?IR=T | title = 17 Of The Most Influential Freemasons Ever | date = March 20, 2014 | language = en | website = businessinsider.com | access-date = September 30, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151122015117/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-influential-freemasons-2014-3?IR=T | archive-date = November 22, 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> becoming a 32nd Degree Mason.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://mastermason.com/PGH32/famousmasons.html | title = Famous Master Masons | archive-url = https://archive.today/20180930201803/http://mastermason.com/PGH32/famousmasons.html | archive-date = September 30, 2018 | url-status=live | access-date = September 30, 2018 }}</ref>

Cole was "an avid baseball fan", particularly of [[Hank Aaron]]. In 1968, [[Nelson Riddle]] related an incident from some years earlier and told of music studio engineers, searching for a source of noise, finding Cole listening to a game on a transistor radio.<ref name="pc22" />

===Marriages and children===
[[File:Nat and Maria Cole 1951.jpg|thumb|Cole and his second wife, Maria, 1951]]
Cole met his first wife, Nadine Robinson, while they were on tour for the all-black Broadway musical ''Shuffle Along''. Cole was 18 when they married and she was the reason why he moved to Los Angeles and formed the Nat King Cole trio.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography |title=Nat King Cole&nbsp;— Biography & History |website=AllMusic |access-date=May 16, 2015 |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331114204/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography |url-status=live }}</ref> Their marriage ended in divorce in 1948.<ref name="Gale">{{cite web|url=http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/cole_n.htm|title=Gale:Free Resources:Black History:Biographies: Nat King Cole|publisher=Gale|access-date=April 20, 2012|archive-date=January 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126044640/http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/cole_n.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 28, 1948 (Easter Sunday), six days after his divorce became final, Cole married singer [[Maria Cole|Maria Hawkins]]. The Coles were married in [[Harlem]]'s [[Abyssinian Baptist Church]] by [[Adam Clayton Powell Jr.]] They had five children: [[Natalie Cole|Natalie]] (1950–2015), who had a successful career as a singer before dying of congestive heart failure at age 65; an adopted daughter, [[Carole Cole|Carole]] (1944–2009, the daughter of Maria's sister), who died of [[lung cancer]] at the age of 64; an adopted son, Nat Kelly Cole (1959–1995), who died of [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] at the age of 36;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/participant.jsp?spid=823550&apid=116271 |title=TCM |publisher=TCM |access-date=March 4, 2010}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and twin daughters, Casey and Timolin, born September 26, 1961. Maria supported Cole during his final illness and stayed with him until his death. In an interview, she emphasized his musical legacy and the class he exhibited despite his imperfections.<ref name="Gale"/>

[[File:natcuba.jpg|thumb|A bust of Nat King Cole in the [[Hotel Nacional de Cuba]]]]

===Experiences with racism===
In August 1948, Cole purchased a house from Col. Harry Gantz, the ex-husband of silent film actress [[Lois Weber]], in the all-white [[Hancock Park, Los Angeles|Hancock Park]] neighborhood of Los Angeles. Shortly thereafter, a [[Cross burning|burning cross]] was placed on his front lawn and the [[Homeowner association|property-owners association]] told Cole they did not want any "undesirables" moving into the neighborhood. Cole responded, "Neither do I. And if I see anybody undesirable coming in here, I'll be the first to complain."<ref name="Levinson2005">{{cite book |last=Levinson |first=Peter J. |title=September in the Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zG-UYr7vBb4C&pg=PA89 |access-date=February 19, 2019 |year=2005 |publisher=Taylor Trade |isbn=978-1589791633 |pages=89– |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806181823/https://books.google.com/books?id=zG-UYr7vBb4C&pg=PA89 |url-status=live }}</ref> His dog died after eating poisoned meat, something likely to be connected to his moving to the neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Andy|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com:443/news/general-news/las-ugly-jim-crow-history-774688/|title=L.A.'s Ugly Jim Crow History: Nat King Cole's Dog Poisoned in Hancock Park|work=[[Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 19, 2015|access-date=June 2, 2022}}</ref>

In 1956, Cole was contracted to perform in Cuba. He wanted to stay at the [[Hotel Nacional de Cuba]] in Havana but was refused because it operated a [[racial segregation|color bar]]. Cole honored his contract, and the concert at the [[Tropicana Club]] was a huge success. The following year, Cole returned to Cuba for another concert, singing many songs in Spanish.

====1956 Birmingham assault====
{{Further|Original Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy#Rock music and Cole assault}}

Cole was assaulted during a concert on April 10, 1956, in Birmingham, Alabama, while singing the song "Little Girl" on stage with the [[Ted Heath (bandleader)|Ted Heath]] Band. After photographs of Cole with white female fans were circulated bearing such incendiary, boldface captions as "Cole and His White Women" and "Cole and Your Daughter",<ref name="Burford">{{cite journal |last1=Burford |first1=Mark |title=Sam Cooke as Pop Album Artist—A Reinvention in Three Songs |journal=Journal of the American Musicological Society |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=113–178 |doi=10.1525/jams.2012.65.1.113 |date=April 2012|jstor=10.1525/jams.2012.65.1.113 }}</ref> three men belonging to the [[Original Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy|North Alabama Citizens Council]] attacked Cole in an apparent attempt to kidnap him.

The three assailants ran down the aisles of the auditorium towards Cole. Local law enforcement quickly ended their invasion of the stage, but not until Cole was toppled from his piano bench and received a slight injury to his back. He did not finish the concert.<ref name="eyewitness">Eyewitness account published in the ''[[The Birmingham News|Birmingham News]]''. Felts, Jim. Letter to the editor. December 15, 2007.</ref> Police later found rifles, a [[Baton (law enforcement)#Blackjacks and saps|blackjack]], and [[brass knuckles]], in a car outside the venue.<ref>[https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/apr/10 On this day (Apr 10, 1956) - White Men Attack Nat King Cole During Performance in Birmingham, Alabama], from the [[Equal Justice Initiative]]</ref> A fourth member of the group was later arrested. All were tried and convicted.<ref name="eyewitness" />

Six men, including 23-year-old Willie Richard Vinson, were formally charged with assault with intent to murder Cole, but the charges against four of them was later changed to conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor. The original plan to attack Cole included 150 men from Birmingham and nearby towns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/nat-king-cole-attacked-on-stage-archive-1956|title=Nat 'King' Cole attacked on stage – archive, 12 April 1956|website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=April 12, 2018|access-date=September 17, 2019|archive-date=September 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927035913/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/12/nat-king-cole-attacked-on-stage-archive-1956|url-status=live}}</ref>

"I can't understand it," Cole said afterwards. "I have not taken part in any protests. Nor have I joined an organization fighting segregation. Why should they attack me?" Cole wanted to forget the incident and continued to play for segregated audiences in the American South. He said he could not change the situation in a day. He contributed money to the [[Montgomery bus boycott]] and previously sued Northern hotels that had hired him but refused to serve him.

====Criticism and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement====
[[Thurgood Marshall]], then-the chief legal counsel of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People|NAACP]], said "All Cole needs to complete his role as an [[Uncle Tom]] is a [[banjo]]." [[Roy Wilkins]], executive secretary of the NAACP, wrote him a telegram that said:
{{blockquote|You have not been a crusader or engaged in an effort to change the customs or laws of the South. That responsibility, newspapers quote you as saying, you leave to the other guys. That attack upon you clearly indicates that organized bigotry makes no distinction between those who do not actively challenge racial discrimination and those who do. This is a fight which none of us can escape. We invite you to join us in a crusade against racism.<ref name="Altschuler2003">{{cite book|last=Altschuler|first=Glenn C.|title=All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMyC2FndXwkC|access-date=February 19, 2019|year= 2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198031918|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806202102/https://books.google.com/books?id=lMyC2FndXwkC|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

''[[The Chicago Defender]]'' said that Cole's performances for all-white audiences were an insult to his race. The ''[[New York Amsterdam News]]'' said that "thousands of Harlem blacks who have worshiped at the shrine of singer Nat King Cole turned their backs on him this week as the noted crooner turned his back on the NAACP and said that he will continue to play to [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow]] audiences". To play "Uncle Nat's" discs, wrote a commentator in ''The American Negro'', "would be supporting his 'traitor' ideas and narrow way of thinking".

Deeply hurt by the criticism in the black press, Cole was chastened. Emphasizing his opposition to [[racial segregation]] "in any form", he agreed to join other entertainers in boycotting segregated venues. He paid $500 to become a lifetime member of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Until his death in 1965, Cole was an active and visible participant in the [[civil rights movement]], playing an important role in planning the [[March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom|March on Washington]] in 1963.<ref name="Gilbert1988">{{cite book|last=Gilbert|first=James|title=A Cycle of Outrage: America's Reaction to the Juvenile Delinquent in the 1950s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSbMWznYmFAC|year=1988|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195363562|page=9|access-date=February 19, 2019|archive-date=January 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119173538/https://books.google.com/books?id=PSbMWznYmFAC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Sussman">{{cite book |last1=Sussman |first1=Warren |editor1-last=May |editor1-first=Lary |title=Recasting America |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0226511757 |chapter=Did Success Spoil the United States |year=1989 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/recastingamerica00gres }}</ref>

===Politics===
Cole performed in 1956 for President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s televised birthday celebration.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-16-vw-2610-story.html |title=It's All Right to Still Like Ike: History: Once Painted as a 'Distanced' President, Dwight Eisenhower Now is Heralded for his Strong Sense of Service. |website=Los Angeles Times |date=October 16, 1990 |access-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-date=January 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128063002/http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-16/news/vw-2610_1_eisenhower-presidency |url-status=live }}</ref> At the [[1956 Republican National Convention]], he sang "[[That's All There Is to That]]" and was "greeted with applause".<ref>Official Report of the Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Republican National Convention, August 20–23, 1956, p. 327.</ref>

Cole was also present at the [[1960 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]] in 1960 to support Senator [[John F. Kennedy]]. Cole was among the dozens of entertainers recruited by [[Frank Sinatra]] to perform at the Kennedy Inaugural gala in 1961. Cole consulted with Kennedy and his successor, [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], on civil rights.

==Illness and death==
In September 1964, Cole began to lose weight and experienced back problems.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=338}} He collapsed with pain after performing at the [[Sands Hotel and Casino|Sands Hotel]] in Las Vegas.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} In December, Cole was working in San Francisco when he was finally persuaded by friends to seek medical help. A malignant tumor in an advanced state of growth on Cole's left lung was observed on a [[Chest radiograph|chest X-ray]]. Cole, who was a heavy [[Tobacco smoking|cigarette smoker]], had [[lung cancer]] and was expected to have only months to live.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/Famous/g/Famous-Tobacco-Victims-Jazz-Singer-Nat-King-Cole.htm |title=Tobacco Victim Nat King Cole |website=Quitsmoking.about.com |access-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-date=January 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131225404/http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/Famous/g/Famous-Tobacco-Victims-Jazz-Singer-Nat-King-Cole.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Against his doctors' wishes, Cole carried on his work and made his final recordings between December 1 and 3 in San Francisco, with an orchestra conducted by [[Ralph Carmichael]]. The music was released on the album ''[[L-O-V-E (album)|L-O-V-E]]'' shortly before Cole died.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=342}} His daughter noted later that he did this to assure the welfare of his family.

Cole entered [[Saint John's Health Center]] in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]] on December 7, 1964, and [[cobalt therapy]] was started on December 10. [[Frank Sinatra]] performed in Cole's place at the grand opening of the new [[Dorothy Chandler Pavilion]] of the [[Los Angeles Music Center]] on December 12.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=347}} Cole's condition gradually worsened, but he was released from the hospital over the New Year's period. At home, Cole was able to see the hundreds of thousands of cards and letters that had been sent after news of his illness was made public. Cole returned to the hospital in early January 1965. He also sent $5,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000|1964|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) to actress and singer [[Gunilla Hutton]], with whom Cole had been romantically involved since early 1964.<ref>"Unforgettable", ''The New York Times'', December 26, 1999</ref>

Hutton later telephoned Maria and implored her to divorce him. Maria confronted her husband, and Cole finally broke off the relationship with Hutton.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=350}} Cole's illness reconciled him with his wife, and Cole vowed that if he recovered, he would go on television to urge people to stop smoking. On January 25, Cole's entire left lung was surgically removed. His father died of heart problems on February 1.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=355}} Throughout Cole's illness, his publicists promoted the idea that he would soon be well and working, despite the private knowledge of his terminal condition. [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] magazine reported that "Nat King Cole has successfully come through a serious operation and... the future looks bright for 'the master' to resume his career again".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Blues News |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=migEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22nat+king+cole%22 |access-date=September 17, 2015 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=February 6, 1965 |page=28 |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220214101/https://books.google.com/books?id=migEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22nat+king+cole%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> On Valentine's Day, Cole and his wife briefly left St. John's to drive by the sea. Cole died at the hospital early in the morning hours of Monday, February 15, 1965, at the age of 45.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=356}}

[[File:Nat King Cole mausoleum.jpg|thumb|Cole's vault at Forest Lawn Memorial Park]]
Cole's funeral was held on February 18 at [[St. James' Episcopal Church (Los Angeles, California)|St. James' Episcopal Church<!--(Los_Angeles_California-->]] on [[Wilshire Boulevard]] in Los Angeles; 400 people were present inside the church, and thousands gathered outside. Hundreds of members of the public had filed past the coffin the day before.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=358}} Honorary pallbearers included [[Robert F. Kennedy]], [[Count Basie]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Johnny Mathis]], [[George Burns]], [[Danny Thomas]], [[Jimmy Durante]], [[Alan W. Livingston|Alan Livingston]], [[Frankie Laine]], [[Steve Allen]], and [[Pat Brown]], the [[governor of California]].{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=359}}

The eulogy was delivered by [[Jack Benny]], who said that "Nat Cole was a man who gave so much and still had so much to give. He gave it in song, in friendship to his fellow man, devotion to his family. He was a star, a tremendous success as an entertainer, an institution. But he was an even greater success as a man, as a husband, as a father, as a friend."{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=359}} Cole's remains were interred in Freedom Mausoleum at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], California.{{sfn|Epstein|1999|p=360}}

==Posthumous releases==
Cole's last album, ''[[L-O-V-E (album)|L-O-V-E]]'', was recorded in early December 1964—just a few days before he entered the hospital for cancer treatment—and was released just before his death. It peaked at number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Albums chart in the spring of 1965. A ''Best Of'' album was certified a gold record in 1968. His 1957 recording of "When I Fall in Love" reached number 4 in the UK charts in 1987, released in reaction to a version by [[Rick Astley]] challenging for the coveted Christmas number 1 spot.

In 1983, an archivist for EMI [[Electrola]] Records, a subsidiary of [[EMI]] (Capitol's parent company until 2013) in Germany, discovered some unreleased recordings by Cole, including one in Japanese and another in Spanish ("Tu Eres Tan Amable"). Capitol released them later that year as the LP ''Unreleased''.

In 1991, [[Mosaic Records]] released ''The Complete Capitol Records Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio'', a compilation of 349 songs available as an 18-[[Compact disc|CD]] or a 27-[[LP record|LP]] set. In 2008, it was re-released in digital-download format through services like [[iTunes]] and [[Amazon Music]].

Also in 1991, [[Natalie Cole]] recorded a new vocal track that was mixed with her father's 1961 stereo re-recording of his 1951 hit "[[Unforgettable (Nat King Cole song)|Unforgettable]]" for a tribute album of the same title on [[Elektra Records]]. The song and album won seven Grammy awards in 1992 for Best Album and Best Song.

There have been many tribute albums, including one by his brother, Freddy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/he-was-the-king-mw0002915537|title=He Was the King / Freddy Cole|access-date=2 March 2024|website = [[allmusic.com]]}}</ref> [[Randy Napoleon]], [[Freddy Cole]]'s guitarist and arranger for 13 years, has performed and recorded tributes to the Cole family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theshedd.org/divp/series.aspx?event=6412|access-date=2 March 2024|title = Now Hear This 2023-24 / Randy Napoleon / The Cole School|website = [[The Shedd Institute]]}}</ref>

In 2009, the year of the inauguration of [[Barack Obama]] as America's first black president, Capitol released an album ''Voices of Change, Then and Now''. On this album is the song "We Are Americans Too" that Capitol did not release in 1956, the year that Nat King Cole wrote it.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-20-et-backtracking20-story.html | title=Singing for civil rights | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=January 20, 2009 }}</ref>

== Discography ==
{{Main| Nat King Cole discography}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[The King Cole Trio (album)|The King Cole Trio]]'' (1944)
* ''[[The King Cole Trio (album)|The King Cole Trio, Volume 2]]'' (1946)
* ''[[The King Cole Trio (album)|The King Cole Trio, Volume 3]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The King Cole Trio (album)|The King Cole Trio, Volume 4]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Nat King Cole at the Piano]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Harvest of Hits]]'' (1950)
* ''[[King Cole for Kids]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Penthouse Serenade]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Top Pops]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Unforgettable (Nat King Cole album)|Unforgettable]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Penthouse Serenade]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love]]'' (1955) (12-inch re-release)
* ''[[The Piano Style of Nat King Cole]]'' (1955)
* ''[[After Midnight (Nat King Cole album)|After Midnight]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Just One of Those Things (album)|Just One of Those Things]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Love Is the Thing]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Cole Español]]'' (1958)
* ''[[St. Louis Blues (album)|St. Louis Blues]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Very Thought of You (Nat King Cole album)|The Very Thought of You]]'' (1958)
* ''[[To Whom It May Concern (Nat King Cole album)|To Whom It May Concern]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Welcome to the Club (Nat King Cole album)|Welcome to the Club]]'' (1958)
* ''[[A Mis Amigos]]'' (1959)
* ''[[Tell Me All About Yourself]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Every Time I Feel the Spirit (album)|Every Time I Feel the Spirit]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Wild Is Love]]'' (1960)
* ''[[The Magic of Christmas (Nat King Cole album)|The Magic of Christmas]]'' (1960)
* ''[[The Nat King Cole Story]]'' (1961)
* ''[[The Touch of Your Lips (album)|The Touch of Your Lips]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Ramblin' Rose (album)|Ramblin' Rose]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Dear Lonely Hearts]]'' (1962)
* ''[[More Cole Español]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Where Did Everyone Go?]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Let's Face the Music!]]'' (1964, recorded 1961)
* ''[[I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore]]'' (1964)
* ''[[L-O-V-E (album)|L-O-V-E]]'' (1965)
* ''Nat King Cole Sings His Songs From 'Cat Ballou' and Other Motion Pictures'' (1965)
* ''Live at the Sands'' (1966, recorded 1960)
{{div col end}}

His hit singles include "Straighten Up and Fly Right" 1944 No. 8, "The Christmas Song" 1946/1962/2018 No. ?/No. 65/No. 11, "Nature Boy" 1948 No. 1, "Mona Lisa 1950 No. 1, "Frosty, The Snowman" 1950 No. 9, "Too Young" 1951 No. 1, "Unforgettable" 1951 No. 12, "Somewhere Along the Way" 1952 No. 8, "Answer Me, My Love" 1954 No. 6, "A Blossom Fell" 1955 No. 2, "If I May" 1955 No. 8, "[[Send for Me (song)|Send for Me]]" 1957 No. 6, "[[Looking Back (Nat King Cole song)|Looking Back]]" 1958 No. 5, "Ramblin' Rose" 1962 No. 2, "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer" 1963 No. 6, and "Unforgettable" 1991 (with daughter Natalie).

== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1943
| ''[[Here Comes Elmer]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1943
| ''[[Pistol Packin' Mama (film)|Pistol Packin' Mama]]''
| As part of the King Cole Trio
| Uncredited
|-
| 1944
| ''[[Pin Up Girl (film)|Pin Up Girl]]''
| Canteen pianist
| Uncredited
|-
| 1944
| ''[[Stars on Parade (1944 film)|Stars on Parade]]''
| As part of the King Cole Trio
|
|-
| 1944
| ''[[Swing in the Saddle]]''
| As part of the King Cole Trio
| Uncredited
|-
| 1944
| ''[[See My Lawyer]]''
| Specialty act
| As part of the King Cole Trio
|-
| 1944
| ''Is You Is, or Is You Ain't My Baby?''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1945
| ''Frim Fram Sauce''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1946
| ''[[Breakfast in Hollywood (film)|Breakfast in Hollywood]]''
| As part of the King Cole Trio
|
|-
| 1946
| ''Errand Boy for Rhythm''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1946
| ''Come to Baby Do''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1948
| ''[[Killer Diller (1948 film)|Killer Diller]]''
| Himself
| As part of the King Cole Trio
|-
| 1949
| ''[[Make Believe Ballroom (film)|Make Believe Ballroom]]''
| Himself
| As part of the King Cole Trio
|-
| 1950
| ''King Cole Trio & Benny Carter Orchestra''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''You Call It Madness''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''When I Fall in Love''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''The Trouble with Me Is You''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''Sweet Lorraine''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''Route 66''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''[[Nature Boy]]''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''Mona Lisa''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''Home''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''For Sentimental Reasons''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1951
| ''Calypso Blues''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1952
| ''Nat "King" Cole and Joe Adams Orchestra''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1953
| ''[[The Blue Gardenia]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1953
| ''[[Small Town Girl (1953 film)|Small Town Girl]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1953
| ''Nat "King" Cole and Russ Morgan and His Orchestra''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]''
| Singer
| Voice
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Rhythm and Blues Revue]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Revue]]''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1955
| ''The Nat 'King' Cole Musical Story''
| Himself
| Short subject
|-
| 1955
| ''Rhythm and Blues Revue''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 1956
| ''[[The Scarlet Hour]]''
| Nightclub vocalist
|
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Basin Street Revue]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Istanbul (film)|Istanbul]]''
| Danny Rice
|
|-
| 1957
| ''[[China Gate (1957 film)|China Gate]]''
| Goldie
|
|-
| 1958
| ''[[St. Louis Blues (1958 film)|St. Louis Blues]]''
| [[W. C. Handy]]
|
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Night of the Quarter Moon]]''
| Cy Robbin
| A.k.a. ''The Color of Her Skin''
|-
| 1959
| ''Premier Khrushchev in the USA''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 1960
| ''Schlager-Raketen''
| Sänger, Himself
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Cat Ballou]]''
| Shouter
| Released posthumously, (final film role)
|-
| 1989
| ''Benny Carter: Symphony in Riffs''
| Himself
| Documentary
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1950
| ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''
| Himself
| 14 episodes
|-
| 1951–1952
| ''[[Texaco Star Theatre]]''
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1952–1955
| ''[[The Jackie Gleason Show]]''
| Himself
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1953
| ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode #2.20
|-
| 1953–1961
| ''[[What's My Line?]]''
| "Mystery guest"
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1954–1955
| ''[[The Colgate Comedy Hour]]''
| Himself
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Ford Star Jubilee]]''
| Himself
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1956–1957
| ''[[The Nat King Cole Show]]''
| Host
| 42 episodes
|-
| 1957–1960
| ''[[The Dinah Shore Chevy Show]]''
| Himself
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1958
| ''[[The Patti Page Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode #1.5
|-
| 1959
| ''[[The Perry Como Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode: January 17, 1959
|-
| 1959
| ''[[The George Gobel Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode #5.10
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode #5.21
|-
| 1960
| ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Nat King Cole"
|-
| 1960
| ''Academy Award Songs''
| Himself
| TV movie
|-
| 1960
| ''Special Gala to Support Kennedy Campaign''
| Himself
| TV movie
|-
| 1961
| ''Main Event''
| Himself
| TV movie
|-
| 1961–1964
| ''[[The Garry Moore Show]]''
| Himself
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1962–1964
| ''[[The Jack Paar Program]]''
| Himself
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1963
| ''An Evening with Nat King Cole''
| Himself
| TV movie
|-
| 1963
| ''An Evening with Nat King Cole''
| Himself
| BBC Television special
|-
| 1963
| ''[[The Danny Kaye Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode #1.14
|-
| 1964
| ''Freedom Spectacular''
| Himself
| TV movie
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The Jack Benny Program (television series)|The Jack Benny Program]]''
| Nat
| Episode: "Nat King Cole, Guest"
|}

==Awards and honors==
[[File:Alabama State University December 2018 28 (Nat "King" Cole Birthplace).jpg|thumb|Cole's birthplace on the campus of [[Alabama State University]] in [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]]]]

Cole was inducted into the [[Alabama Music Hall of Fame]] and the [[Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame]]. He was awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1990. In 1992, Cole received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award from the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nat King Cole {{!}} Songwriters Hall of Fame |url=https://www.songhall.org/awards/winner/Nat_King_Cole |access-date=February 11, 2023 |website=www.songhall.org}}</ref> He was also inducted into the ''[[DownBeat]]'' Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2007. A United States postage stamp with Cole's likeness was issued in 1994. Cole was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2000, and the [[Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latinsonghall.com/access/special-awards/#.Uy9Dk3-wXYE|title=Special Awards – Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame|year=2013|access-date=March 23, 2014|publisher=Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame|archive-date=March 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313113539/http://www.latinsonghall.com/access/special-awards/#.Uy9Dk3-wXYE|url-status=live}}</ref> [[NPR]] named him one of the [[50 Great Voices]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nat King Cole: An Incandescent Voice |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126110985 |website=NPR}}</ref>

Cole's success at Capitol Records, for which he recorded more than 150 singles that reached the ''Billboard'' Pop, R&B, and Country charts, has yet to be matched by any Capitol artist.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Documentary Profiles Nat 'King' Cole|date = May 4, 2006|journal = ProQuest|id = {{ProQuest|367705214}}}}</ref> Cole's records sold 50 million copies during his career.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Remembering The Legendary Nat King Cole|date = February 23, 2000|journal = ProQuest|id = {{ProQuest|365061846}}}}</ref> His recording of "[[The Christmas Song]]" still receives airplay every holiday season, even hitting the Billboard Top 40 in December 2017.<ref>{{Cite magazine| url = https://www.billboard.com/charts/holiday-songs| title = Holiday Airplay| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| date = January 10, 2015| access-date = April 16, 2020| archive-date = July 25, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200725202720/https://www.billboard.com/charts/holiday-songs| url-status = live}}</ref> In 2020, Cole was inducted into the [[National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=rush360 |date=July 24, 2022 |title=Inductees {{!}} R&B HOF |url=https://rbhalloffamemarksms.com/inductees/ |access-date=February 11, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book | last1=Gourse | first1=Leslie| title=Unforgettable: The Life & Mystique of Nat King Cole| publisher=St. Martine's Press |date=1991|isbn=0-312-07877-3}}
*{{cite book | last1=Haskins | first1=James| title=Nat King Cole| publisher=Scaborough House| others=With Kathleen Benson| date=1990|isbn=0-8128-8522-8}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Biography}}
* [[List of African-American firsts]]
* [[List of Freemasons]]
* ''[[The Ethel Waters Show]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Will Friedwald, ''Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole'', Oxford University Press, 2020. {{ISBN|978-0190882044}}.
* {{cite book|last=Epstein|first=Daniel Mark|year=1999|title=Nat King Cole|location=New York|publisher=Farrar Straus Giroux|isbn=978-0374219123|url=https://archive.org/details/natkingcole00epst}}
* Bill Dobbins and Richard Wang. "Cole, Nat 'King'." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. September 28, 2016.
* Pelote, Vincent. "Book Reviews: "Unforgettable: The Life and Mystique of Nat King Cole," by Leslie Gourse." Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, vol. 49, no. 3, 1993., pp.&nbsp;1073–1074,

==External links==
{{sister project links|d=no|wikt=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|species=no|n=no|s=no}}
* {{IMDb name|0170713}}
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p65542}}
* {{Discogs artist|Nat King Cole}}
* [https://www.npr.org/artists/15392890/nat-king-cole Nat King Cole] at [[NPR]].org
* [http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1552 Nat "King" Cole article in the Encyclopedia of Alabama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214121755/http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1552 |date=December 14, 2010 }}
* {{Rockhall}}

{{Nat King Cole}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Nat King Cole
| list =
{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year}}
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Billboard Year-End number one singles 1946–1959}}
}}
{{Natalie Cole}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Nat King}}
[[Category:Nat King Cole| ]]
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:African-American crooners]]
[[Category:African-American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:African-American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:African-American male singers]]
[[Category:African-American television hosts]]
[[Category:African-American television personalities]]
[[Category:American ballad musicians]]
[[Category:American baritones]]
[[Category:American crooners]]
[[Category:American Freemasons]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:American jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American jazz singers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American male organists]]
[[Category:American male jazz pianists]]
[[Category:American male pop singers]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American performers of Latin music]]
[[Category:American pop pianists]]
[[Category:Big band pianists]]
[[Category:Big band singers]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in California]]
[[Category:Decca Records artists]]
[[Category:American easy listening musicians]]
[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Alabama]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Chicago]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Japanese-language singers of the United States]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Alabama]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from California]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Chicago]]
[[Category:King Cole Trio members]]
[[Category:Male actors from Chicago]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Male actors from Montgomery, Alabama]]
[[Category:Musicians from Montgomery, Alabama]]
[[Category:People from North Chicago, Illinois]]
[[Category:Singers from Alabama]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]
[[Category:Singers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Spanish-language singers of the United States]]
[[Category:Swing pianists]]
[[Category:Swing singers]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Chicago]]
[[Category:Tobacco-related deaths]]
[[Category:Traditional pop music singers]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Alabama]]