Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday was an American jazz and blues singer widely regarded as one of the greatest vocalists in the history of American music, celebrated for the expressive intimacy and emotional depth of her phrasing and for her ability to transform even ordinary pop songs into deeply personal statements. Her recording of "Strange Fruit" (1939), a graphic protest song about the lynching of Black men in the American South, is considered one of the most important and courageous recordings in music history. She struggled with heroin addiction and was hounded by authorities; she died in a New York hospital on July 17, 1959, at age 44, under arrest.