| Birth: | Mar. 17, 1919 | | Death: | Feb. 15, 1965 | 
Singer and Actor. He is best remembered for his 28 gold records, including "Sweet Lorraine", "Ramblin' Rose", and "Mona Lisa." He also appeared in 28 films and television stories, usually playing himself, including "Cat Ballou" (1965), and "Breakfast in Hollywood" (1943). Born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama, he received music lessons from his mother. His family moved to Chicago when he was 5, where his father, Rev. Edward James Coles, was minister at the True Light Baptist Church. Nat learned to play the church organ at age 12, and when 14, he formed a band called the Royal Dukes. He was also an excellent baseball and football player at the Wendell Phillips High School, Chicago. In 1939, he formed the King Cole Trio, after a publicist put a tinfoil crown on his head and proclaimed him "King." He later toured Europe and made a command performance before Queen Elizabeth II. He had a television show during the 1960s. He met his wife, Maria, at the Zanzibar Nightclub in Los Angeles, where she was a singer, and they married in 1948. They had four daughters: Carol (adopted, she was born 17 Oct 1944), Natalie (born 6 Feb 1950), twin daughters Timolin and Casey (born 26 Sept 1961), and a son, Nat Kelly Cole (born Feb 1959). He started smoking to generate revenue from television ads promoting tobacco, and this led to his lung cancer, the cause of his death. Daughter Natalie also became a famous singer. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)
Search Amazon for Nat Cole | | | Burial:
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Glendale
Los Angeles County
California, USA
Plot: Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 1336 |
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