Natalie Cole's death is the world's loss

The death of Natalie Cole caught me off guard, even though I knew that she been ill. She was painfully thin but still had the velvety voice. I was a freshman at Alcorn A&M College in Lorman, Miss., when her famous dad died. My roommates and I were glued to the radio. Nat King Cole and his family were like royalty. We would envy him in the best of situations. He had a fancy house with a swimming pool. We heard that Mr. Cole had a national TV show. We didn’t get to see the show in Lorman, Miss. Nat King Cole was loved by my grandmother, mother and myself. I remembering saying there will never be another velvet voice. We listen to RANDY, a radio station in Tennessee, play all of his hits.

Then we met Miss Natalie Cole. She was like royalty. I wanted to know everything about Princess Natalie Cole and she gave us scripts. Natalie’s mom insisted that Natalie complete college before starting a singing career. Natalie‘s world was in all of the African-American magazines but when her first hit came out, it was as if her Dad was with us. But nothing was as touching as when she was able to sing a duet with her Dad, Nat King Cole, “Unforgettable.” Even now when I hear the duet, I tear up. The Coles should definitely be part of your playlist.

Tonight, I am going to order a copy of Natalie’s first Latin Album in 2013. She was nominated for: Album of the Year, “Natalie Cole en Español,” Record of the Year, “Bachata Rose” with Juan Luis Guerra and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, “Natalie Cole en Español.”

Maryamu Givens

Moses Lake