Maria Cole
| Maria Cole | |
|---|---|
 Nat and Maria Cole, 1951 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maria Hawkins |
| Born |
August 1, 1922 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died |
July 10, 2012 (aged 89) Boca Raton, Florida |
| Associated acts | Natalie Cole |
Maria Hawkins Cole (formerly Ellington during her first marriage to Spurgeon Ellington, a Tuskegee Airman)[1] (August 1, 1922 – July 10, 2012) was the widow of singer Nat King Cole and mother of singer Natalie Cole.[2][3] She was also a jazz singer who worked most notably with Count Basie and Duke Ellington.[2] She met Nat King Cole while they were both singing at the Zanzibar club.[2][3]
Cole was born in Boston and was the niece of Charlotte Hawkins Brown.[4][5] Her father, Mingo Hawkins, was a letter carrier. Her mother, Carol, died while giving birth to her sister.[6][7][8] Cole died in a nursing home in Boca Raton, Florida on July 10, 2012, at the age of 89, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer.[2]
References
- ↑ "Nat “King” Cole’s Widow Maria Cole Visits Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Associated Press (11 July 2012). "Widow of Nat 'King' Cole dies of cancer at 89". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gene Lees, Nat Hentoff (2004). You Can't Steal a Gift: Dizzy, Clark, Milt, and Nat. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 227–235.
- ↑ "Nat "King" Cole’s Widow Maria Cole Visits Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum". North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. June 11, 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
- ↑ Henry Louis Gates, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (2004). African American Lives. Oxford University Press. p. 106. ISBN 9780195160246.
- ↑ Notable Black American Women - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
- ↑ "NC Cultural Resources Newsroom » Nat “King” Cole’s Widow Maria Cole Visits Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum". News.ncdcr.gov. 1965-02-25. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
- ↑ Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood - Donald Bogle - Google Books. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-07-13.