She is fondly referred to as the “First Lady of Song”, the “Queen of Jazz” and “Lady Ella”, amongst other names.
And in a fitting tribute to her, search engine major Google has commemorated the 96th birth anniversary of Ella Fitzerald with a doodle.
The doodle shows a lady singer – bearing resemblance to Fitzerland – performing on a stage with the words “GOOGLE” in the background.
Fitzgerald was born on 25 April 1917. Her first recording was in 1936 at the age of 17. The multiple Grammy winner’s repertoire include a range of songs that include jazz, show tunes, bossa nova and opera.
Considered to be amongst the most popular female jazz singers in the United States, Fitzgerald won 13 Grammy awards, including the one for lifetime achievement (1967) and sold over 40 million albums. She is also known for her series of Songbook albums.
In September 1986, Ella underwent a bypass surgery. Doctors diagnosed her with diabetes and linked it to her failing eye-sight. She returned to the stage and pushed on with an exhaustive schedule.
In 1987, the then US president Ronald Reagan awarded her the national medal of arts.
By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York's renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there.
As the effects from her diabetes worsened, Ella started suffering from severe circulatory problems.
She died in June, 1999, at the age of 79.