Sonny Rollins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who recorded over sixty albums as a leader and is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. Sonny passed away at his home on May 25, 2026.
Sonny Rollins Biography
| Full Name | Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins |
| Nickname | Sonny Rollins |
| Profession | Jazz tenor saxophonist |
| Date of Birth | 7 September 1930 |
| Age | 95 years old (at the time of his death in 2026) |
| Birth Place | New York, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| School | Edward W. Sitt Junior High School Benjamin Franklin High School in East Harlem |
| College | Not known |
| Education Qualification | Not publicly known |
| Gender | Male |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Date of Death | 25 May 2026 |
| Place of Death | Woodstock, New York, USA |
| Cause of Death | Not revealed |
Sonny Rollins Age
Sonny Rollins (Walter Theodore Rollins) was born on 7 September 1930 in New York, United States of America. He was 95 years old at the time of his death in 2026, and his zodiac sign is Virgo.
Sonny Rollins Wife
| Marital Status | Widower |
| Affairs/Girlfriend | Dawn Finney Lucille Person |
| Spouse/wife | Daun Finney (brief) Dawn Finney (m. 1965, died. 2004) |
| Children | None |
Sonny Rollins Family
| Father’s Name | Walter Rollins (served in the U.S. Navy) |
| Mother’s Name | Valborg Rollins |
| Brother’s Name | Valdemar Rolliins (older) |
| Sister’s Name | Gloria Rollins (older) |
Career
| Debut | Album – 1953: Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Ouarlet |
| Award | 1973 – Elected to the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame 1992 – Honorary Doctor of Arts from Bard College 2004 – Grammy Award for lifetime achievement 2006 – Golden Plate Award 2010 – Edwad MacDowell Medal 2015 – Honorary Doctor of Music From the University of Hartford. |
Sonny Rollins Albums
- 1953 – Sonny Rollins With the Moden Jazz Quarlet
- 1956 – Sonny Rollins Plus 4
- 1956 – Saxophone Colossus
- 1957 – Sonny Rollins, Vol. 1
- 1957 – The Sound of Sonny
- 1958 – Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary leaders
- 1962 – The Bridge
- 1964 – Now’s the Time
- 1966 – East Broadway Run Down
- 1973 – Horn Culture
- 1980 – Love at First Sight
- 1984 – Sunny Days, Starry Nights
- 1989 – Falling in Love with Jazz
- 1998 – Global Warming
- 2000 – This is What I Do
- 2006 – Sonny, Please
Sonny Rollins Height And Weight
| Height (approx) | In centimeters – 183 cm In meters – 1.83 m In feet & inches – 6’0” |
| Weight (approx) | In kilograms – 75 kg In pounds – 166 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | White |
Sonny Rollins Net Worth
American jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins had an estimated net worth of around $3 million at the time of his death in 2026, largely attributed to album sales, performances, and collaborations.
| Net Worth (Approx) | $3 million (at the time of his death in 2026) |
| Real Estate | Not publicly known |
| Income sources | Album sales, live performance, endorsement etc. |
Some Interesting Facts About Sonny Rollins
- Sonny Rollins was born and raised in New York City to Parents from the Virgin Islands.
- He was the youngest of three siblings, and grew up in central Harlem and on Sugar Hill.
- He attended Edward W. Still Junior High School and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School.
- He started as a pianist and then switched to alto saxophone after being inspired by Louis Jordan.
- He finally switched to tenor saxophone in 1946, influenced by his idol Coleman Hawkins.
- He made his first recordings in early 1949 as a sideman with the bebop singer Babs Gonzales.
- In early 1950, he was arrested for armed robbery and spent ten months in Rikers Island jail.
- In 1995, Sonny Rollins entered the Federal Medical Center, Lexington.
- Rollins briefly joined the Miles Davis Quintet in the Summer of 1955.
- His widely acclaimed album Saxophone Colossus was recorded on 22 June 1956.
- In 1957, Sonny Rollins married his first wife, actress and model Dawn Finney.
- During the 1960s, Rollins lived on Willoughby Street in Brooklyn, New York.
- In 1965, he married Lucille Pearson, born on July 25, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri.
- In 1969, Rollins took another two-year sabbatical from public performance.
- In 1972, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Composition.
- In 1983, he was honored as a “Jazz Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- In February 2023, Rollins sold his music catalogue to Reservoir Media.
- Sonny Rollins died in his home in Woodstock, New York, on 25 May 2026, at age 95.
FAQ:
How old was Sonny Rollins?
As of May 2026, Sonny Rollins was 95 years old.
What is Sonny Rollins’ net worth?
Sonny Rollins’s net worth was around $3 million at the time of his death.
What happened to Sonny Rollins?
Sonny Rollins died on 25 May 2026, at age 95, in his home in Woodstock, New York, USA.