George Duke, the pioneering jazz musician, died in Los Angeles on Monday after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was 67.

Duke first got a taste of the power of jazz music at a young age when his mother brought him to see Duke Ellington play. Duke had credited seeing the performer pounding away at the ivories and conducting the men around him with inspiring him to pursue on a career in the genre.

In a career that spanned four decades, Duke released more than 40 albums. Throughout the years and the various iterations of the jazz genre to come – funk, R&B, etc. – Duke collaborated with a slew of important artists. Among them were Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson and Jill Scott. His contribution to music inspired and was sampled by the likes of Common, Daft Punk and Kanye West.

The Grammy-winning artist released his last album, DreamWeaver, this past July. The album, his first since his wife Corinne passed away last year, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart and is currently at No. 5.

After news of Duke’s death broke, a number of musicians took to Twitter to pay their respects:

Justin Timberlake:

Janelle Monae:

Pam Grier:

Questlove Jenkins:

Duke’s son, Rashid Duke, released a statement to express his gratitude for the kind words he’s been met with in the aftermath of his father’s death. “The outpouring of love and support that we have received from my father's friends, fans and the entire music community has been overwhelming," he said. "Thank you all for your concern, prayers and support."

– Chelsea Regan

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