Jazz Saxophone Legend Sonny Rollins Dies, Last Icon of Golden Age Era

Sonny Rollins, the legendary jazz saxophonist widely regarded as one of the last surviving giants of jazz's golden age, has died. The American musician, who helped define the bebop and hard bop styles, composed numerous pieces that became jazz standards performed by musicians worldwide. Rollins was considered one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in jazz history, alongside John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins. His death marks the end of an era, as he was among the final living links to jazz's most celebrated period in the 1950s and 1960s, when the genre reached new artistic heights through the innovations of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and other masters.