Jazz Legend Artie Shaw dies at 94

NEW YORK (Top40 Charts) - Jazz fans worldwide will be mourning the sad death of one of musics greatest players.
Bandleader and clarinetist legend Artie Shaw, famed for his classic recordings of "Begin the Beguine" and "Lady Be Good" as well as turbulent marriages to movie stars Lana Turner and Ava Gardner, died on Thursday at age 94.

Along with fellow bandleaders Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller, Shaw gained his greatest popularity during what was known as the Big Band era.
His 1938 recording of "Begin the Beguine" made him a national figure. Another of his many recorded hits was "Stardust." He was among the first white bandleaders to hire a black singer full time when Billie Holiday joined his group.
Shaw abruptly stopped performing in 1954, but reorganized a band in the early 1980s that featured another clarinetist leading the orchestra.

Among his eight wives were actresses Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. All eight marriages ended in divorce. He spent years as a recluse before reviving his band and occasionally standing in as conductor in the early 1980s.