Marc Morial on the Passing of Ellis Marsalis

MARC MORIAL ON THE PASSING OF ELLIS MARSALIS: “NEW ORLEANS LOST PART OF ITS SOUL TODAY”

NEW YORK (April 1, 2020) -- Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League and former Mayor of New Orleans, issued the following statement in response to the death of Ellis Marsalis:

“New Orleans lost part of its soul today.  There are few musicians on Earth who have been as influential as Ellis Marsalis. He was a genius, a master, an innovator and a musical evangelist. Jazz is the language of New Orleans, and he was our chief linguist.

“I mourn him as a friend, as an admirer, and as a New Orleanian. He will be counted among the great icons who were swept away by the tide of this disease.

“My heart is with his family, my city, and all who grieve his loss.”