Anita O'Day

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead offers an appreciation of the singer, who died in 2006, then we listen back to a 1987 interview. O'Day first became known in 1941 when she joined Gene Krupa's band.

Jazz singer Anita O'Day died last week of a heart attack at the age of 87. She was known for her distinctive legato style, the result of a botched childhood tonsillectomy that left her without vibrato. O'Day made her name with the bands of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton, and later had success as a solo performer.