Sonny Rollins: key obituary facts
Is Sonny Rollins dead? Yes. Sonny Rollins died on May 25, 2026, at age 95.
Cause of death: Sonny Rollins's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Sonny Rollins known for?
He was an American jazz saxophonist and composer (1930–2026).
More about Sonny Rollins
Born: 7 September 1930.
Place of birth: Harlem.
Place of death: Woodstock.
Gender: male.
Occupation: composer, bandleader, conductor, jazz saxophonist, saxophonist, jazz musician, musician.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics.
Awards: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Paul Acket Award, Kennedy Center Honors, Guggenheim Fellowship, National Medal of Arts, Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, NEA Jazz Masters.
Also known as: Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins, Walter Theodore Rollins, Newk.
Genres: Jazz, hard bop.
Occupations: Musician, composer, bandleader.
Instruments: Tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone.
Years active: 1947–2014.
Sonny Rollins, the American jazz saxophonist known for “Airegin,” “Oleo” and “Doxy,” died on May 25, 2026, at age 95.
Born Walter Theodore Rollins on Sept. 7, 1930, in New York City, he was a musician, composer and bandleader whose work spanned jazz and hard bop.
He played tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone and recorded more than 60 albums as a leader during a career that lasted from 1947 until 2014. Rollins was born in New York and later lived in Woodstock, N.Y.