The trumpet legend passed away on Sunday at the Glacier Hills care facility in Ann Arbor due to heart failure, his wife confirmed.
- May 25, 2015
AceShowbiz - Marcus Belgrave, Detroit jazz trumpet legend, passed away at the age of 78. His wife vocalist Joan Belgrave told the Detroit Free Press that her husband died of heart failure on Sunday, May 24 at the Glacier Hills care facility in Ann Arbor.
Marcus had battled with heart and pulmonary problems for years and had to use oxygen 24 hours a day. During his critical moment, Marcus had regularly visited the hospital since April 19 due to complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. He was said to show a significant improvement before dying peacefully in his sleep.
Despite his long battle with the chronic disease, Marcus kept practicing daily. A day before his death, Joan said that she and her late husband spent the whole day preparing for his performance at the Concert of Colors in July. He made his final performance on April 17 in Durham, N.C., as he played along with Russell Gunn and Rayse Biggs at a trumpet summit.
Marcus opened up back in 2014 that he continued performing amid his battle with the disease because he followed his dream. "To have that passion and desire to be whoever you want to be, it takes time and development. You have to be flexible," Marcus said at that time. "No matter what, keep on smiling."
During his career, Marcus had worked and collaborated with music legends including Gunther Schuller, Carl Craig, Max Roach and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few. Later in 2009, he won Kresge Foundation's Eminent Artist Award.
