George Wein Cause of Death
George Wein Cause of Death – George Wein, 95, died in his New York City residence while sleeping peacefully according to Carolyn McClair, a family spokesperson.
George Wein Biography
George Wein was an American jazz promoter, musician, and producer who lived from October 3, 1925 until September 13, 2021. The Newport Jazz Festival, which takes place every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, was founded by him. He also helped to establish the Newport Folk Festival with Peter Seeger and Theodore Bikel, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Name | George Wein |
Date of Birth | October 3, 1925 |
Age | 95 years (2021) |
Religion | Judaism (He was raised Jewish) |
Net worth | $10 million |
Cause of Death | Natural causes |
Wife | Joyce Alexander |
Profession/Occupation | Jazz promoter, Musician |
Date of Death | September 13, 2021 |
Nationality | American |
Education | Boston University |
Gender | Male |
George Wein Early Life and Background
George Wein was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, to Jewish parents, and grew up in Newton. In his youth, he was a jazz pianist.
George Wein Education
He attended Boston University and led a small group that performed professionally around Boston after graduating from Newton High School. He graduated from Boston University’s College of Liberal Arts in 1950 after serving in the United States Army during World War II.
George Wein Career
He opened the Storyville jazz club and started the Storyville record label the same year. He also began teaching a jazz history course at Boston University.
In 1954, Louis and Elaine Lorillard encouraged Wein to arrange a festival in their city of Newport, Rhode Island, with funds provided by them; the event was the first outdoor jazz festival in the United States and has since become a Newport tradition.
Wein went on to found a number of festivals around the country, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles, as well as the Newport Folk Festival. He founded Festival Productions in the 1960s with the goal of organizing large-scale jazz events.
For his events, Wein pioneered the concept of corporate sponsorship. His Schlitz Salute to Jazz and Kool Jazz Festival were the first jazz festivals to have sponsors like Schlitz beer and Kool cigarettes in the title. JVC Jazz Festival at Newport, as well as JVC Jazz Festivals in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, Warsaw, and Tokyo, are organized by Festival Productions.
The New York Times Magazine included George Wein among hundreds of artists whose work was allegedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire on June 25, 2019.
Wein has garnered numerous awards for his contributions to jazz concerts. In 1995, he won the Studio Museum of Harlem’s Patron of the Arts Award, and in 2004, he was honored with an AARP Impact Award. The French government awarded him the Légion d’honneur and named him Commandeur de L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Commander of the Order of Arts and Literature). Two American presidents, Jimmy Carter in 1978 and Bill Clinton in 1993, honored him at the White House. The National Endowment for the Arts dubbed him a “Jazz Master” in 2005.
Wein was a respected member of the Jazz Foundation of America’s Board of Directors Advisory Committee.
George Wein Wife
George Wein Wife – George Wein married Joyce Alexander (1928–2005), an African American in 1959. The George and Joyce Wein Collection of African-American Art was founded by the couple.
George Wein Death
Wein died on September 13, 2021, at the age of 95, in his home in Manhattan.
George Wein Net worth
George Wein Net worth – George Wein had an estimated net worth of $10 million. He was the founder of Newport Jazz Festival, which is held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island.
George Wein Religion
George Wein Religion – George Wein was raised Jewish. It is unclear if he practiced Judaism.