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Article: Remembering A Giant.(musician Duke Ellington)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Ebony
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HIS signature sign-off, known the world over, was, "We love you, madly." And 100 years after he entered the world--his family, his fans and his friends still love the Duke madly. Almost everybody who remembered Duke spoke of his passion for music, women (he was married once, but had a number of long-term relationships), his hypochondria (a band member said once that if he stubbed his toe, he would call his doctor, even if he had to call from Egypt)--his elegance and his irony.
Ellington was famous for greeting everyone with four kisses. When he was honored at the White House in 1969, President Nixon noticed this greeting as guests went through the receiving line ...