Full Name: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington; Profession: American jazz pianist, composer, and big-band leader, widely regarded as one of the greatest composers and bandleaders in the history of 20th-century music and a central architect of the jazz idiom; Nationality: American; Born: April 29, 1899; Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States; Generation: Lost Generation (born in 1899, within commonly cited Lost Generation birth ranges from the late 1900s); Chinese Zodiac: Pig; Zodiac Sign: Taurus; Age in 2026: 127 (if alive); Marital Status: Married to his high school sweetheart Edna Thompson in 1918 and never divorced; Children: One son, Mercer Kennedy Ellington; Description: Duke Ellington emerged from Washington’s Black middle class and began playing piano in childhood before turning professional as a teenager, eventually moving to New York City in the 1920s, where his orchestra became a sensation at Harlem’s Cotton Club and helped define the sound of the Jazz Age through sophisticated arrangements, innovative harmonies, and an instantly recognizable ensemble sonority. Over a career spanning roughly half a century, he led his own orchestra continuously, wrote thousands of works ranging from three‑minute swing numbers to extended suites and sacred concerts, and collaborated with star soloists such as Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams while reshaping the role of jazz as both popular entertainment and serious art. He became an international cultural ambassador, touring widely, stretching the boundaries between jazz and classical idioms, and earning recognition such as the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, France’s Legion of Honor in 1973, and a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1999 for the breadth and democratic spirit of his musical achievement. Revered by critics and fellow musicians as “America’s most important composer,” his works like “Mood Indigo,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and “Sophisticated Lady” became standards. By the time of his death, he was celebrated as a towering figure of the Harlem Renaissance and the broader twentieth‑century musical canon. Cause of Death: He died in New York City on May 24, 1974, aged 75, from complications of lung cancer and pneumonia, shortly after celebrating his seventy‑fifth birthday.