Undated photograph of Ellington and group in Louis Thomas' cabaret. Left to right; Sonny Greer, drums; Bertha Ricks, singer; Ellington, middle at piano; Sterling Conaway and wife, banjo. Edward Kennedy Ellington (April 29, 1899 - May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. His career spanned over 50 years, leading his orchestra from 1923 until he died. Born in Washington, D.C., he was based in New York City from the 1920s, and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club. In the 1930s they toured in Europe. Often collaborating with others, he originated over a thousand compositions and his extensive oeuvre is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, with many of his extant works having become standards. After 1941, he collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn. Following an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956, he enjoyed a major career revival and, with his orchestra, embarked on world tours. He is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional genres of music. He died from lung cancer and pneumonia in 1974, a month after his 75th birthday. His last words were, "Music is how I live, why I live and how I will be remembered." His reputation increased after his death and he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1999.