Walter Page - Death

Death

The death of Walter Page on December 20th, 1957 was very much a surprise, as the bassist had been playing gigs around New York City right up until his passing. It is reported that Page contracted pneumonia on his way to a recording session in the midst of a snowstorm. An obituary in Jet Magazine from January 9, 1958 under the “Died” column, reads:

“Walter Page, 57, one of the greatest jazz bass players, who helped Count Basie lead an invasion of Kansas City jazz to New York in 1935; of kidney ailment and pneumonia; at Bellevue Hospital in New York.”

It is speculated that Walter Page’s early death may be a factor contributing to his relative obscurity in the history of jazz, despite his major influence and stylistic contributions. In an interview published only a month before his death in The Jazz Review, Walter Page expressed how he never sought praise and that he just wanted to know that he was appreciated for his influence on music.