Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole was married three times in her lifetime. Her first husband was songwriter cum producer Marvin Yancy. The duo had a son, Robert Adam, who died in 2017. Cole and Yancy divorced in 1980 after which she went on to marry record producer Andre Fischer. Her second marriage too ended in a divorce in 1995.

In 2001, she married bishop Kenneth Dupree. However, the two parted ways in 2004.

She disclosed in 2008 that she was suffering from hepatitis C. Her health deteriorated rapidly in the ensuing years. On December 31, 2015, she died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles due to congestive heart failure. She was aged 65.

Natalie Cole was born on February 6, 1950 in Los Angeles, California, the USA to popular singer Nat King Cole and his wife Maria Hawkins Ellington, a former orchestra singer. She was a grandniece of the famous educator Charlotte Hawkins Brown and the niece of Freddy Cole who is a popular pianist and singer.

She grew up with her older adopted sister, Carole "Cookie," who was her mother’s younger sister's daughter; younger twin sisters, Casey and Timolin; and adopted brother Nat "Kelly" Cole.

At the age of six, Cole sang for her father's Christmas album and later started performing at the age of 11.

She attended Northfield School for Girls (now Northfield Mount Hermon School) before her father’s death in 1965.

Cole eventually attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She later studied at the University of Southern California for a brief period of time. She again transferred to the University of Massachusetts and graduated from there in 1972, majoring in child psychology.

After graduation, Natalie Cole started singing at clubs with her band Black Magic. She then began performing R&B and rock numbers at various venues. It was during this time that she was approached by producers Marvin Yancy and Chuck Jackson who wanted to work with her.

Cole then began recording songs with Yancy, who later sent them to numerous record labels. Almost every label turned them down except Capitol Records, Cole’s father's label.

She ultimately signed with Capitol Records and released her debut studio album titled ‘Inseparable’ in 1975. Two of the album’s songs "This Will Be" and "Inseparable" became hits.

In 1976, the singer released her album ‘Natalie.’ This album, like ‘Inseparable,’ became a huge success because of its popular hits "Sophisticated Lady" and "Mr. Melody". She then came up with her album titled ‘Unpredictable’ that went platinum, thanks to its R&B hit track "I've Got Love on My Mind".

In 1977, Cole issued her second platinum album, ‘Thankful,’ that included the hit, "Our Love". Soon after, she started her own show on TV. In 1978, she released her first ever live album, ‘Natalie Live!’

In 1991, Natalie Cole released her album titled ‘Unforgettable... with Love’ through Elektra Records. This album featured her covers of the popular songs her father had previously recorded. The album sold more than 7 million copies in the USA alone and earned a number of Grammys including the Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

The recreated duet version of the much loved song “Unforgettable,” featuring the recorded vocals of Nat Cole along with the voice of Natalie Cole, was a major hit. This song went gold and reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the R&B chart.