Remembering Jazz Legend Al Jarreau

Nicknamed the "Acrobat of Scat" for his unique vocal style, Al Jarreau was one of the few performers of his day who successfully bridged pop, jazz and R&B.

Jarreau did not begin a full music career until he was thirty, but he released more than 20 albums and won seven Grammy Awards, along with a nomination for the theme song from the ever-popular TV show, Moonlighting. The singer also remained a tireless performer right up until his death.

The news of his death, came just after the seven-time Grammy winner announced his retirement from the entertainment business after hospitalized in Los Angeles for exhaustion, according to the Associated Press.

"He is thankful for his 50 years of traveling the world in ministry through music, and for everyone to share this with him -- his faithful audience, the dedicated musicians, and so many others who supported his efforts, read a Twitter post to his fans.

It was unclear what he died from at press time, but Jarreau had fought through respiratory and cardiac issues in recent years.

Alwyn Lopez Jarreau was born March 12, 1940 in Milwaukee, and he grew up in a musical household.

"My mother was a piano teacher and church organist. My dad was a minister, and a singer," Jarreau said in a 2012 invterview with All About Jazz. "My brothers were singing quartet music in the living room when I was four and five years old. They were singing ... [scatting]...stuff like that, that's what I wanted to be like. I wanted to be like my brothers, singing this jazzy music."

His debut album, released in 1976, made an immediate splash in jazz circles. Mainstream pop success followed in 1981 with the album "Breaking Away," which hit the Top 10 on the Billboard charts and spawned his biggest hit, the breezy "We're in This Love Together," and he was featured on the all-star 1985 song, "We Are the World."

"I have had the chance to live the artist life, to make my living creating," said Jarreau. "To be given that ability to create something where there was nothing before, empty space, and now there's a song. That's an amazing gift."