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Natalie Cole Dead at 65

Natalie Cole.
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Flickr
Natalie Cole.

Natalie Cole, the daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, who carved out her own success with R&B hits like "Our Love" and "This Will Be" died Thursday at the age of 65 of congestive heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital, as reported by The International Business Times.

A representative of Natalie Cole released the following statement to TMZ

“It is with heavy hearts that we bring to you all the news of our Mother and sister’s passing. Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived ... with dignity, strength and honor. Our beloved Mother and sister will be greatly missed and remain UNFORGETTABLE in our hearts forever.”

Cole struggled with drug addiction in the 1980s and learned in 2008 that she had hepatitis C.

“I was a heroin addict, sharing needles with the crowd I was with,” she told People magazine in 2008. “At the time, I was having fun. I didn’t know. Then, 25 years later after a routine blood test, my doctor tells me, ‘You have hepatitis C.’ My life crumbled before my eyes."

Cole was nominated for numerous Grammy Awards over the years, winning her first in 1976 for Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. The following year, she landed another award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female, for her song “Sophisticated Lady.” In 1992, she was able to recreate her Grammy magic by pulling in three awards: Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Performance. The last Grammy she won was in 2009 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for “Still Unforgettable.” Although she was still touring until her death, her last album release was in 2013 with “Natalie Cole en Espanol.”

Read more on this story from the Associated Press.