October 28, 2025
Chicago-born jazz luminary Jack DeJohnette, a renowned drummer, pianist and composer, died Sunday, October 26, 2025, at the age of 83. According to his record label and personal assistant, he died of congestive heart failure in Kingston, New York.
Born August 9, 1942, in Chicago, DeJohnette grew up in a musical household, beginning to study piano at the age of four. By his teens, he had shifted focus toward drums. His uncle, Roy Wood Sr., a Chicago disc jockey and broadcaster, exposed him to jazz records in his youth.
In 1966, DeJohnette moved to New York City and joined the quartet of saxophonist Charles Lloyd, earning early acclaim. His breakthrough came when he joined Miles Davis's band in the late 1960s, playing on the landmark album "Bitches Brew" and helping shape the fusion era of jazz. Over his more than six-decade career, he performed and recorded with many of the jazz greats-pianist Keith Jarrett, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, trumpeter Herbie Hancock, and pianist Bill Evans among them.
DeJohnette led his own groups, including Special Edition, and played standards in a trio with Keith Jarrett and bassist Gary Peacock for decades. Known for his expansive musical approach-treating drums not just as rhythm but as a color palette-he broadened the role of percussion in jazz. He was honored as an NEA Jazz Master in 2012. His output included dozens of albums under his own name and as sideman; his 2022 album "Skyline" won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
DeJohnette leaves a legacy that spans the transformation of jazz from the 1960s forward. His contributions reshaped the drummer's role-from pure timekeeper to interactive musical partner-and his explorations across fusion, avant-garde, free jazz and meditative genres influenced generations. He played a pivotal role in defining the sound of Davis's fusion period, then carved out his own voice as a bandleader and innovator. His eclecticism, deep musical empathy and relentless curiosity ensured his place among jazz's most influential figures.
DeJohnette is survived by his wife, Lydia, and their two daughters, Farah and Minya.
