Jack DeJohnette dead: Grammy winner dies aged 83 as tributes pour in for music icon

Two time Grammy winning drummer Jack DeJohnette has died at the age of 83. The news was confirmed by a family representative, Joan Clancy, who said he died in hospital of congestive heart failure. The acclaimed jazz instrumentalist worked with many huge names throughout his career including spending three years working with the legendary Miles Davis. He also collaborated with the likes of Charles Lloyd, Herbie Hancock, and John Scofield. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2007 and was listed in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Drummers.

Nominated for eight Grammy Awards in total he won his first in 2009 for Best New Age Album for Peace Time. His second came in 2022 for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Skyline. Speaking about his approach to music in a 2015 video interview, he likened himself to a painter, saying: "I'm like a colorist on the drums. So I can work within time, but I can also be free of it, more elastic in that sense."

Tributes flooded in for the iconic musician as news of his death became public knowledge. "I first heard him just over 40 years ago, the man was just unbelievable, what a great loss to music," one wrote.

"This is a difficult moment for the DeJohnette family, and I am truly sorry for the loss of our cousin, Jack. I write this to share a tribute that celebrates the remarkable life and enduring legacy of a man who was one of the most influential musicians in the history of modern music," another penned.

A third chimed in: "Jack has been and will forever be my musical and life hero. He has taught me about a feel that can only be described as a complete transformation of how to approach music and life itself. Jack will continue to impact many generations for as long as the planet permits."

A fourth added: "I'm very saddened to hear this. Jack was a force. Nobody but NOBODY else played drums like Jack. He could fill a song with all the nuance and texture it needed without stepping on or getting in the way of anyone else in the group."

"There will never be another drummer like Jack DeJohnette, Although his sticks lay silent his countless recordings will live on forever R.I.P. Jack and Thank you for the music you provided with all the special drum tracks for us to listen to," a fifth penned.

Meanwhile a sixth shared: "R. I. P. Jack De Johnette. I am an amateur drummer and I was fortunate enough to see him once at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival."

He began playing the drums when a friend left a drum kit in his family's basement. Self taught he started playing along with records featuring jazz drummers.

"It took me about a week just to get my independence on the drums; it somehow came natural to me," he recalled in a 2011 interview for the Smithsonian Institution's jazz oral history programme.