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ALLEN TOUSSAINT R.I.P. 1938-2015

News comes in from his daughter that the piano legend and New Orleans producer and all round true gentlemen, Allen Toussaint is reported as having died of a heart attack on Monday evening after playing a gig in Spain

Allen Toussaint was especially important to me for his connection and never ending tireless work as ambassador for all things New Orleans. Dr John, Professor Longhair, The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Tuts Washington to name but a handful of artists whose work he championed, there were countless others and he will be sorely missed

Allen Toussaint, New Orleans composer, producer and performer, has died on November 9, 2015 while on tour in Europe, WWL-TV reports. He was 77. Toussaint, an elegant, talented, versatile force, turned out an avalanche of songs that have become a sturdy part of the canon of New Orleans music. He was set to play a New Orleans Artists Against Hunger and Homelessness benefit concert Dec 8, with Paul Simon, at Le Petit Theatre. Toussaint co-founded NOAAHH in 1985. He was on a tour in Spain, with plans to play in Belgium, London and Madrid, according to his Facebook page. In addition to playing piano, he composed scores of songs, including "Ruler of My Heart," "A Certain Girl," "Fortune Teller" and "Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette)." The New Orleans-born trumpeter Al Hirt had a hit with Toussaint's instrumental composition "Java." In the 1970s, he embarked on a solo career, which reached a high point with the release of his "Southern Nights" album; the title song became a hit not only for him but also for Glen Campbell. - nola.com

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