BRUSSELS - Belgian legend 'Toots' Thielemans has died after a 70-year career as the world's top harmonica player during which he made music with some of the biggest names in jazz.
Celebrated jazz musician Jean "Toots" Thielemans was the world's top harmonica player
Jean-Baptiste Frederic Isidore Thielemans, known affectionately as 'Toots', died in his sleep in a Brussels hospital early Monday, his manager Veerle Van de Poel told AFP. He was 94.
Born in 1922 in the working class Marolles district of Brussels, Thielemans got a big break when he joined Benny Goodman on a European tour in 1950 before moving to the United States where he teamed up with other jazz greats, including Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald.