Ellis Marsalis Jr. was an epic jazz musician and pianist who’s almost 70 years long career was one of the brightest in the whole history of the American local jazz stage. He recently lost his life due to complications caused by COVID-19 during the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic. Marsalis was born in 1934 in New Orleans and started playing piano at the age of 10. Later on, he learned to play saxophone and started appearing on the stage of some local bars and venues in the early 1950s. During the 1960s and the 1970s, he used to be a teacher and a tutor for many young musicians, as well as write poetry and articles on music and arts. For the last two decades of the 20s century, Marsalis was back to his active performing life as a member of his family band which included his two sons. For is life, Marsalis has released 20 studio albums but he is popular rather for his collaborations with such jazz stars as Marcus Roberts, Dave Newman, Eddie Harris, and others. He is featured in hundreds of collaborative albums and was introduced to Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Ellis Marsalis Jr. died in April 2020 after fighting against COVID-19 type pneumonia at the age of 85.