LEGENDARY jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine has died aged 97.
Dame Cleo, who famously performed with greats Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles, became Britain's most successful jazz singer ever during a stellar a career spanning decades.
Dame Cleo later became the first British singer to win a Grammy Award for jazz.
A statement from her children Jacqui and Alec said: "It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon.
"We will all miss her terribly. The family wish to be given space to grieve and ask for privacy at this very difficult time."
Laine boasted a vocal range of four octaves, performing the music of Schoenberg and Spike Milligan.
It paved the way for a distinguished jazz career, as the Sunday Times described her as "quite simply the best singer in the world".
She also frequently collaborated with her husband, musician and composer John Dankworth, beginning in the 1950s.
They later set up the Stables art centre in Buckinghamshire.
In a statement, the centre said it was "greatly saddened today by the news that one of its founders and Life President, Dame Cleo Laine has passed away".
Based in the grounds of their Buckinghamshire home, stars like Cerys Matthews and Courtney Pine performed at the centre.
Born as Clementina Dinah Hitching, the star was born in Southall, Middlesex on October 28, 1927.
She was the daughter of Jamaican WW1 veteran, Alex Campell – a labourer who sang on the side to make enough money.
He married Clementina's mother, Minnie Hitching, who had been disowned by her parents over the interracial relationship.
The prodigy first fell in love with jazz after listening to her brother's records, before starting music lessons.
From the age of three, she would perform at local community shows, aspiring towards an acting career.
It led to her debut at the age of 12 in The Thief of Baghdad where she played a street urchin.
However, her career was put on hold as a result of the war, during which she worked a number of jobs.
After marrying a roofer called George Langridge in 1947, the pair had a son together.
She continued to audition as a singer, before being invited to try out with the popular jazz group the Johnny Dankworth Seven in 1951.
It led to her being given the pseudonym Cleo Laine after her birth name was too long for their posters.
During her time in the band she became known for scat singing.
In 1958 she married Dankworth after divorcing her first husband, establishing a musical collaboration that would endure throughout their lives.
Still eager to pursue an acting career she landed roles in Flesh To A Tiger, A Time to Laugh, and Show Boat.
Meanwhile, her singing career was thriving as she landed a top 10 hit in 1961 with 'You'll Answer Me'.
She and John collaborated on the 1964 album Shakespeare and All That Jazz, awarding them both critical acclaim.
After a relatively unsuccessful performance in America, she was invited back by Duke Ellington and went on to sell out Carnegie Hall.
It led to continued success in the states, as she became the first artist to be nominated for both classical and pop awards at the Grammys.
She went on to win a Grammy for the live recording of a Carnegie Hall concert in 1983.
During this period of success she had been awarded an OBE in 1979, before becoming a dame in 1997.
John Dankworth sadly died in February 2010 shortly before a performance celebrating The Stables' 40th anniversary.
The concert still went ahead, with Dankworth's death being announced afterwards.
Over the last decade Laine had continued to perform, sometimes with her musician children Jacqui and Alec.
She said: "Singing is the one thing that keeps me going, really."
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