Nancy Wilson Passes at 81 - Daughter of Columbus, Ohio

Nancy Wilson Obituary

2/20/1937 - 12/13/2018| Visit Guest Book

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Nancy Wilson (Maury Phillips / WireImage / Getty Images)

Nancy Wilson (1937 – 2018) was a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer who sang many styles of music but is most closely associated with jazz. Among her notable recordings are the 1964 hit “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” and her debut single, “Guess Who I Saw Today.” Aware of her singing talent from a young age, she transformed her gift for song into a performing and recording career that spanned more than half a century, beginning in the 1950s and extending until her retirement in the 2010s.

She was described as a consummate entertainer. She made frequent television appearances beginning in the 1960s. She won an Emmy for her series “The Nancy Wilson Show” (1974 – 1975). She also hosted NPR Music’s “Jazz Profiles” documentary series from 1996 through 2005, for which she won a Peabody Award in 2002. She won three Grammys for albums during her career, “How Glad I Am” (1965), “R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)” (2005), and “Turned to Blue” (2007).

Beyond her singing career she was an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, was a spokeswoman for the Urban League, and promoted AIDS awareness.