John Coltrane

John William "Trane" Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.
Coltrane played the bebop and hard bop styles of jazz early in his career, and helped start the use of modes in jazz and later was a very important part of free jazz. He made about fifty recordings as a bandleader, and appeared on many other albums, for example with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk. As his career progressed, Coltrane's music became more spiritual. he died of liver cancer. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane, and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.
He influenced many musicians, and is one of the most important tenor saxophonists in jazz history. He received many awards, including Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 (many years after his death) for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."