Pharoah Sanders, Legendary Jazz Saxophonist, Dies At 81

LOS ANGELES, CA — Pharoah Sanders, a revered and boundary-pushing musical force, died Saturday morning in Los Angeles. He was 81 years old.

The tenor saxophonist was known for his experimental and multiphonic techniques. He was considered one of John Coltrane's major disciples.

Sanders was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and began his professional music career in Oakland before moving to New York in the early 1960s. He began playing with Coltrane in 1964.

Sanders' website calls those ensembles "some of the most controversial in the history of jazz."

"Their music represents a near total desertion of traditional jazz concepts, like swing and functional harmony, in favor of a teeming, irregularly structured, organic mixture of sound for sound's sake," it continues.

Sanders' best known musical creation is "The Creator Has a Master Plan," a performance from 1968.

His death was announced by Luaka Bop, a record label that had released his influential 2021 album Promises. No cause of death was announced.

"We are devastated to share that Pharoah Sanders has passed away," the label tweeted. "He died peacefully surrounded by loving family and friends in Los Angeles earlier this morning. Always and forever the most beautiful human being, may he rest in peace."