Who Was Natalie Cole?
Natalie Cole, the daughter of renowned singers Nat King Cole and Maria Cole, didn’t initially plan on a singing career. In 1972, she took a summer job singing with a band, which led to the release of her debut album, Inseparable (1975), earning her two Grammy Awards. After overcoming addiction, she made a significant comeback in the 1990s with Unforgettable… with Love, featuring songs her father had previously performed.
Early Life
Born on February 6, 1950, in Los Angeles, California, Natalie Maria Cole was the daughter of vocal legend Nat King Cole and jazz singer Maria Cole. Growing up in a musically rich environment, she recorded “I’m Good Will, Your Christmas Spirit” with her father at age six and began performing locally by age eleven. The sudden death of her father in 1965 strained her relationship with her mother, who moved the family to Massachusetts. Cole attended Northfield Mount Hermon High School and later the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she majored in child psychology. She briefly attended the University of Southern California before returning to Massachusetts to complete her bachelor’s degree in 1972.
Music Career
During a summer break in Amherst, Cole began performing again and met the writing and producing team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. In 1975, they helped her secure a deal with Capitol Records, leading to the release of Inseparable. The album, featuring hits like “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” earned her two Grammy Awards. Throughout the 1970s, Cole released multiple gold and platinum records, with her third album, Unpredictable (1977), producing the No. 1 R&B hit “I’ve Got Love on My Mind.”
In 1979, Cole received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing her status as a top performer. After battling drug addiction and parting ways with Capitol Records, she returned to the charts in the mid-1980s with the hit “Pink Cadillac.” Her 1991 album Unforgettable… with Love paid tribute to her father, featuring a duet version of “Unforgettable” with his original recording. The album sold over 7 million copies and won several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
In the 1990s, Cole released popular albums like Snowfall on the Sahara and The Magic of Christmas (1999), recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. She also began acting, appearing in various television series. In 2001, Cole starred in Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, a TV movie adaptation of her autobiography Angel on My Shoulder, which detailed her struggles and rise to fame. Her 2008 album Still Unforgettable won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Addiction Struggle
The death of her father deeply affected Cole, as reflected in her music and tributes. In her autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, she revealed her battles with depression and drug addiction, which began in college. Her addiction nearly cost her life multiple times until she overcame it after rehab in 1983.
Personal Life
In 1976, Cole married producer Marvin Yancy, who reintroduced her to religion, and they had a son, Robert Adam Yancy, in 1977. They divorced in 1980. Cole remarried in 1989 to record producer Andre Fisher, but they divorced in 1995. Her third marriage to Bishop Kenneth Dupree in 2001 ended in 2005.
Death
In 2008, Cole was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which led to kidney failure. She received a kidney transplant in 2009 but passed away from congestive heart failure on December 31, 2015, in Los Angeles at age 65. Her family stated, “Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived… with dignity, strength, and honor.” Cole’s legacy as a celebrated and iconic R&B artist remains unforgettable.
Quick Facts
- Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning album Inseparable
- Industries: Music
- Astrological Sign: Aquarius
- Schools: University of Southern California, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Northfield Mount Hermon High School
- Death Year: 2015
- Death Date: December 31, 2015
- Death State: California
- Death City: Los Angeles
- Death Country: United States
- Name: Natalie Cole
- Birth Year: 1950
- Birth Date: February 6, 1950
- Birth State: California
- Birth City: Los Angeles
- Birth Country: United States
- Gender: Female
