Grover Washington Jr.: 5 Videos

On the evening of Friday, December 17, 1999, saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. was on the set of the CBS's Early Show. He played four songs with his band, and the performance was taped for airing the following morning, on the TV new show's Saturday edition. In the green room after, Washington collapse and was rushed to the hospital. He died of a heart attack at age 56.

Washington recorded nearly 30 albums and is the father of smooth jazz—an easy-listening format that emerged in the late 1980s and early '90s with the rise of the compact disc, displacing the more esoteric jazz fusion. Washington's albums Inner City Blues (1972), Mister Magic (1975) and Winelight (1980) were among his most successful. Inner City Blues remains a significant work.

Here's Washington's final performance, airing on CBS's Early Show on December 18, a day after his taping...

Here's Mister Magic...

Here's Washington with Jean Carn on The Look of Love...

Here's a half hour concert by Washington and his band...

And here's an hour-long concert in 1990...