A most influential musical icon to generations of Detroiters and musicians abound, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, died on Sunday. He was 79 years old.
If you were a fan of Belgrave then you were accustomed to seeing the musician breathing with an oxygen tank at his side due to heart and pulmonary problems. According to Metro Times, Belgrave suffered from pneumonia several times and had taken to spending his winters in California in light of his health issues.
Belgrave was scheduled to perform at the Concert of Colors in July and was practicing just before his untimely death.
His wife, vocalist Joan Bow Belgrave, commented: "He was OK yesterday. He played his horn, some music from the Ray Charles book that we were planning to use. He talked about how he was going to get out of rehab and not do much of anything."
She continued: "He was playing his intro to 'You Don't Know Me' and having some trouble with it. I told him that was OK because he had a long time to practice."
Mr. Belgrave died at an Ann Arbor, Michigan Care facility. The final cause of death was heart failure.
He came to Detroit in 1962 and succeeded at becoming a studio musician for Motown Records, playing on the major hits of the day including "My Girl," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and "Dancing in the Street."
After Motown decamped to California in the early '70s Mr. Belgrave stayed in his hometown of Detroit and co-founded the Tribe Records label. Throughout his lifetime he continued to record with a collective of jazz artists.
Mr. Belgrave remained active in the Detroit and international scenes until his death.
Our condolences to Mr. Belgrave's family and loved ones.
Watch the genius of the trumpeter below.
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