Billie Holiday, nicknamed “Lady Day,” greatly influenced the direction of jazz and pop singing in America. Her unique vocal style encouraged followers to manipulate phrasing and tempo in unconventional ways.
On this day, July 17th, in 1959, Holiday tragically died in the hospital from complications from cirrhosis of the liver. Earlier that year, her doctor had told her to stop drinking. She complied but only for a short time.
Holiday was arrested for drug possession as she lay dying in the hospital. Police officers were stationed at her room, guarding the door, until she died of heart failure. The final years of Holiday’s life were less than glamorous. She died with only $0.70 in her bank account, despite great success in her music career.