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Natalie Cole - A Daughter Of A Legendary Musician

Rhythm and blues singer Natalie Cole, shot to fame seemingly overnight but later faded away into obscurity just as quickly as she had risen to it. The spirited daughter of the late Nat "King" Cole was one of the top black performers in the middle to late 1970s. She was awarded a Grammy in 1975 for being the best new artist of the year, and it appeared that she was destined to duplicate her famous father's career without echoing his sound. Natalie Cole was the recipient of the Grammy Award.

Author:James Pierce
Reviewer:Emily Sanchez
Sep 21, 20221 Shares476 Views
Rhythm and blues singer Natalie Coleshot to fame seemingly overnight but later faded away into obscurity just as quickly as she had risen to it. The spirited daughter of the late Nat "King" Cole was one of the top black performers in the middle to late 1970s.
She was awarded a Grammy in 1975 for being the best new artist of the year, and it appeared that she was destined to duplicate her famous father's career without echoing his sound. Natalie Cole was the recipient of the Grammy Award.

Natalie Cole Quick Facts

NameNatalie Maria Cole
BornFebruary 6, 1950
FatherNathaniel Adam
MotherMaria Hawkins
Death December 31, 2015

Natalie Cole Facts

Natalie Maria Cole was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 6, 1950. Her parents, jazz singer Nat King Cole and vocal legend Maria Cole, gave birth to their daughter.
Cole was raised in a household that supported and encouraged her natural musical ability due to the fact that both of her parents are accomplished musicians. She recorded "I'm Good Will, Your Christmas Spirit" with her father when she was only 6 years old, and by the time she was 11 years old, the young songstress had started performing in the local community.
When Cole was 15 years old, her entire world was turned upside down when her father passed away from cancer in February of 1965. Cole's relationship with her mother was tested to its limits as a result of the tragedy.
Later on in the same year, Cole's mother uprooted the family and relocated them to Massachusetts, where she enrolled her daughter in the Northfield Mount Hermon High School district.

Natalie Cole Education

Cole has decided to pursue something other than a career in the music industry, despite the fact that it would be a natural fit for her: She continued her education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she pursued a degree in child psychology after graduating from high school.
Natalie Cole wearing a black leather jacket
Natalie Cole wearing a black leather jacket
She attended the University of Southern California for a short while, where she participated in the initiation ceremony for the Upsilon Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
However, her time at USC was cut short because she quickly transferred to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, from which she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1972. Her time at USC was cut short.

Natalie Cole Career

In 1975, Nat King Cole met Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, writing and producing team. Jackson and Yancy were working at a venue in Amherst known as "The Pub," where Cole had recently started performing again during the summer break.
The duo was instrumental in helping Cole secure a recording contract with Capitol Records and, later that same year, in the production of the album Inseparable. The album exploded onto the music scene, earning the young starlet her first two Grammy Awards for best new artist and best female R&B performance.
This was made possible by hit songs such as "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," which contributed to the album's overall success. Cole's career took off in the 1970s, and during that decade she released records that were certified gold or platinum four times.
Her third album, which was also her first album to be certified platinum, was titled Unpredictable (1977), and it featured yet another No. 1 R&B hit titled "I've Got Love on My Mind."
Cole was presented with her very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the year 1979, which served to both symbolize and further establish her abilities as a performer. Cole's battle with drug addiction caused her career to stall in the early 1980s, and as a result, she severed ties with Capitol Records.
Cole's career never fully recovered from this setback. After spending some time in rehabilitation in 1983, she returned to the recording studio and quickly scored a massive hit with the song "Pink Cadillac" in the middle of the 1980s.
Unforgettable... with Love, the album that helped define Cole's career and for which she is best known, was released by Cole in 1991. Unforgettable, her first album with Elektra Records, is a tribute to her father and features many beautiful renditions of standards that Nat King Cole had previously recorded.
The album's most successful single, "Unforgettable," features a track that was overdubbed onto an older recording by Nat King Cole to create the effect of a father-daughter duet. More than seven million copies of the album were sold, and it was awarded several accolades, including the much-sought-after Grammy for album of the year.
Cole released a number of other successful albums throughout the '90s, including Snowfall on the Sahara and The Magic of Christmas (both of which were released in 1999). The Magic of Christmas was an album of holiday standards recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Before the turn of the century, Cole also began her career as an actress by making guest appearances on popular television series of the era. Angel on my Shoulder, Natalie Cole's autobiography, was adapted into a television movie in 2001 under the title Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story.
Cole portrayed herself in the film. An exposé of the personal struggle that accompanied Cole's rise to fame, this book has been described as an account of that struggle. In the same year, 2000, Elektra released the album Natalie Cole: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1, which highlighted the singer's career to that point.
Still Unforgettable, which was released by Cole in 2008, was well-received, and as a result, the singer was awarded yet another Grammy. This one was for best traditional pop vocal album.

Addiction Struggle

Cole was clearly profoundly impacted by the passing of her father, as evidenced by the songs she wrote in his honor and other tributes. Angel on my Shoulder, which Cole published in 2000, is her autobiography.
In it, she discusses her struggles with depression and her heavy drug use throughout her career. While she was a student at Amherst College, she started engaging in the use of recreational drugs.
The effects of Cole's addiction became so pervasive in her life that on multiple occasions it came dangerously close to taking her life. After entering a rehabilitation center in 1983, she was able to beat her addiction.

Natalie Cole Death

Cole was given a diagnosis of hepatitis C, a disease that affects the liver, in the year 2008. Cole's kidneys started to fail as a direct result of the stress that hepatitis C puts on your body. In 2009 at the University of Southern California, she was one of the fortunate recipients of a kidney transplant.
A black and white headshot of Natalie Cole
A black and white headshot of Natalie Cole
On December 31, 2015 in Los Angeles, Cole passed away due to complications from congestive heart failure, aged 65 years old. Her family has issued a statement in which they say, the news that their mother and sister have passed away is something that they share with the people while their hearts are heavy.
Natalie fought a fierce and courageous battle, ultimately passing away with the same dignity, strength, and honor with which she lived. Our dearly loved Mother as well as our sister will be sorely missed and will always be cherished and remembered in our hearts." Cole leaves behind a legacy as one of the most well-known and iconic figures in the R&B music industry.

Natalie Cole Net Worth

Natalie Cole attending an event
Natalie Cole attending an event
Natalie Cole was an American singer, songwriter, and performer who died in 2015 with a net worth of $5 million. Natalie Cole is best known as an R&B singer, with hits such as "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," "Inseparable," and "Our Love."

People Also Ask

How Did Natalie Cole Pass Away?

Congestive heart failure, which her family said was a complication of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, which she had been diagnosed with after her kidney transplant in 2009, was said to be the cause of Cole's death, according to the publicist for the singer. Cole had received a kidney transplant in 2009.

Who Inherited Natalie Cole's Estate?

These people were family and close friends. The amounts that were set aside for each beneficiary were not made public, but it appears that her son Robert inherited the majority of her estate. She named her one and only child as the main beneficiary of her estate.

Who Got Natalie Cole's Money?

In her will, the singer, who died on New Year's Eve, named several beneficiaries, including her son Robert Yancy. A number of other relatives are also mentioned. She also left money to two very special friends, Benita Hill and Tamara Engelstein, who were both a great source of support during her Hepatitis C battle.

Final Words

Cole was raised in a household that supported and encouraged her natural musical ability due to the fact that both of her parents are accomplished musicians. Cole may have gotten her start riding on her father's coattails, but once she took the stage, she developed her own style and repertoire, drawing inspiration from a variety of well-known musicians.
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James Pierce

James Pierce

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Emily Sanchez

Emily Sanchez

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