Iconic vocalist Keely Smith dies from apparent heart failure

[philly]

Keely Smith, the iconic jazz and pop vocalist who achieved success as both a solo artist and with her musical partnership with first husband Louis Prima, died on Dec. 16 in Palm Springs.

She was 89.

www.mercurynews.com/2017/12/17/iconic-vocalist-keely-smith-dies-from-apparent-heart-failure-at-89/

[Richard W]

Loved her.

[erik]

Certainly she lived a long and very fruitful life. That she should be one more great artist that leaves the scene in 2017 is heartbreaking, just the same.

One interesting and, I guess, arcane sidenote: In the book about the Laurel Canyon music scene of the late 60s/early 70s, Canyon Of Dreams, legendary photographer Henry Diltz compared Linda herself, vocal-wise, to Keely--and this was on the basis of having been at a Stone Poneys session at Capitol Records studios in late 1967.