Ellis Marsalis, the famed New Orleans jazz pianist and father of the world-renowned musicians Wynton and Branford Marsalis, has died after a battle being hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms, according to the Associated Press. He was 85. He had been tested for COVID-19 and was waiting on the results, according to Nola.com. Marsalis was born in New Orleans, and the city’s mayor, LaToya Cantrell, said Wednesday, “Ellis Marsalis was a legend. He was the prototype of what we mean when we talk about New Orleans jazz,” Nola.com reports.
