Those We Lost — May 24

Honoring those we lost on May 24 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Duke Ellington

Born April 29, 1899 — Died May 24, 1974

Field: Jazz / Composition / Bandleading / American Music

Duke Ellington was one of the most important composers and bandleaders in American history. He led his orchestra for more than half a century and created a sound that changed jazz, orchestration, and American music.

Why it matters: Ellington refused to let Black music be reduced to category or stereotype. His work belongs not only in jazz history, but in the larger history of American composition.

Stormé DeLarverie

Born December 24, 1920 — Died May 24, 2014

Field: LGBTQ+ History / Performance / Community Protection / Civil Rights Memory

Stormé DeLarverie was a performer, singer, emcee, drag king, and longtime protector of LGBTQ+ spaces in New York.

Why it matters: DeLarverie expands Black history into queer history, nightlife, performance, and community defense. She should be handled with respect and clarity, not reduced only to folklore around Stonewall.

Tina Turner

Born November 26, 1939 — Died May 24, 2023

Field: Rock and Roll / Soul / R&B / Performance / Black Women in Music

Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee, was a singer, performer, actress, and one of the most powerful stage presences in modern music. Known as the Queen of Rock and Roll, she crossed R&B, soul, rock, pop, and arena performance with unmatched force.

Why it matters: Tina Turner is essential to the May deaths archive because her life represents survival, reinvention, Black women’s performance power, and the right to own a second act. Her story is not only about music; it is about escape, self-definition, and becoming bigger after being counted out.