Jack DeJohnette, an American jazz drummer hailed as one of the true greats of the genre and who worked with stars such as Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Charles Lloyd, has died at the age of 83 in a Kingston, New York, hospital.

A spokesman for ECM, the record company that released many of his recordings, confirmed the news, while his personal assistant added that he died of congestive heart failure, according to The Guardian newspaper.

DeJohnette is perhaps best known as the drummer for Miles Davis’ fusion period, contributing to albums such as Bitches Brew, Jack Johnson and On the Corner.

Born and raised in Chicago, he played piano from the age of five or six and continued alongside the drums he learned in his early teens. Jack DeJohnette came of age in an interesting time for the city’s music scene – surrounded by R&B and hard bop and with an abundance of innovative ideas he also expanded his musical vocabulary.

Arriving in New York, he collaborated with trumpeter Miles Davis and succeeded Tony Williams on drums in his band.

DeJohnette began fronting several bands in the early 1970s, including Compost, Directions, New Directions, and Special Edition, with a diverse group of musicians. From the 1980s, while continuing to lead his own projects and bands, he was also a member of the highly acclaimed Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette trio.

He is a two-time Grammy winner, most recently in 2022 with Skyline (a collaboration with Ron Carter and Gonzalo Rubalcaba) which won Best Jazz Instrumental Album and was also named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2012.

DeJohnette was married twice, first to Deirdre Davenport, whom he met in high school in Chicago. He met his second wife Lydia backstage at Ronnie Scott’s club in London in 1966 and later moved to the US with him. They had two daughters, Fara and Minia.