Remembering Eva Cassidy: What Was The Jazz and Blues Singer's Cause of Death at 33?

Eva Cassidy did not survive long enough to experience her enormous triumph.

She was just 33 years old when she died, and she was prospering in the jazz and blues music scene.

Her album "Songbird" sold over five million copies worldwide in 2008, becoming platinum six times in the UK and was certified platinum in the US.

Who Is Eva Cassidy?

Eva Cassidy grew up in Oxon Hill and Bowie despite being born in Washington.

She began singing and playing the guitar at an early age and performed at community events with family members.

The singer-songwriter began her professional career as a backing vocalist for local and national acts at the Black Pawn Recording Studio in Rockville.

Eva collaborated with Chuck Brown, the godfather of go-go music, on her first CD, "The Other Side." She later collaborated with Chris Blondo to make the album "Eva By Heart."

Eva Cassidy's cancer was spreading at the time.

The same year she was stricken with cancer, FM radio stations in Washington devoted shows to her work, and benefit concerts were held to help collect funds for her.

Eva received an honorary gold record from the Recording Industry Association of America at a fundraiser and memorial event at the Bayou.

What Was Eva Cassidy's Cause of Death?

Eva Cassidy first encountered cancer in 1992, when she saw a mole on her shoulder. According to The Independent, the melanoma was excised.

Unfortunately, she is said to have made the error of failing to follow up with her doctors.

Eva was scheduled for hip replacement surgery after feeling pain in her hip. An X-ray taken during her pre-testing revealed that her cancer had spread to her lungs.

Eva sang "What A Wonderful World" at her farewell concert while receiving rigorous chemotherapy. She died two months later.

Eva Cassidy died of melanoma on November 2, 1996, at her home in Bowie.

According to the Washington Post, she was recognized at the time as "an up-and-coming young vocalist, whose voice varied electrifyingly piercing to smokily intimate."

Her album "Eva By Heart" was published after her death.

Eva Cassidy Fame After Her Death

Blix Street Records owner Bill Straw got many recordings from Eva Cassidy's Blues Alley session and published her first nationally syndicated album in 1998.

The singer's success in music increased gradually but steadily, and her songs were even performed in the United Kingdom.

In 2012, a best hits compilation titled "The Best of Eva Cassidy" was released, and her music lives on even after all these years.