NEW ORLEANS — Ronnie Kole, an acclaimed New Orleans pianist who performed across the globe, has died. He was 89.
His death Thursday night was announced on his
Kole was a Chicago native. In interviews, he said he suffered from a heart condition as a child and was discouraged from playing outdoors. He began learning piano from an aunt and considered himself largely self-taught. He went on the road at 16, he told WWL-TV.
A master of a variety of musical styles, he performed for six presidents. He also played a rollicking version of "Amazing Grace" when Pope John Paul II visited New Orleans in 1987.
Kole was a protege of the late jazz trumpeter Al Hirt. And, like Hirt, he once had a club in the French Quarter — Kole’s Corner. He put down roots in the New Orleans area and, while he toured internationally, he was a regular at the annual French Quarter Festival and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Kole lived in Slidell, across Lake Pontchartain from New Orleans. A visitation is planned for Wednesday in Slidell, followed by a private funeral.
The Associated Press
