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The director of the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music confirmed the news of Ellis Marsalis Jr.'s death to WDSU anchor Gina Swanson.

The noted jazz pianist and educator is the father of internationally known musicians Branford and Wynton Marsalis.
Relatives have not released a cause of death for Ellis Marsalis Jr.
When one thinks about jazz in New Orleans, it doesn't take long for Ellis Marsalis' name to come to mind.
The Louisiana Music Hall-of-Famer was born in the Crescent City in 1934 and was a bit different for his era -- Dixieland and Rhythm & Blues were the norm for musicians. But Marsalis was all about jazz -- playing it and teaching it.
His pupils included the likes of Terence Blanchard and Harry Connick, Jr.
Marsalis had six sons, including Wynton and Branford.

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