BILLIE HOLIDAY

Billie Holiday was a prominent black African American figure in jazz music from the 1930s to the 1950s. She had small appearances in two movies (New Orleans and Symphony in Black), and she also appeared in a jazz musical short called "'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet". Diana Ross' movie, "Lady Sings the Blues", is about Billie Holiday's life, but her name is not used. Some of her works include: Riffin' the Scotch, The Way You Look Tonight, and Carelessly. She passed away in 1959 at the age of 44. She suffered from cirrhosis, and in an incredibly sad course of events, she was arrested and handcuffed for drug possession as she lay on her deathbed.