This section is a place where everyone can share their reminiscences about Miss Fitzgerald. If you have a fond memory you would like to share, please e-mail it to us. We're eager to hear your comments and memories regarding the First Lady of Song, and will publish it on these pages for posterity.

Every time we say goodbye,
I die a little
Every time we say goodbye,
I wonder why a little ...
There's no lovesong finer
but how strange the change
from major to minor
Every time we say goodbye.

I'm sure all of us who appreciate the great singers are mourning the loss of one of the greats -- in my opinion, *the* greatest female singer. Ella was known for her scat singing, and she was certainly a master at it. But I appreciated her ballad work just as much. Listen, for example, to her "Dream a Little Dream of Me," or her records with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
She also had a wonderful talent as an "escape artist". At times, especially when scatting, Ella would work her way into a corner, seemingly singing "wrong" notes. Then, she would manipulate those notes into something that seemed, in the end, absolutely logical. It was always thrilling to hear her do this.
As much as we'll miss her, we can be consoled that she's now free of the pain that's been with her the past few years, and she's finally at peace.

Rest in peace, Ella.

Leo Scanlon

These are not my original words but I submit them, without permission and with gratitude, because they sum up certainly what I - and probably millions of others around the globe - feel in the face of this saddest of losses:

Ella Fitzgerald died last night of complications from diabetes. She was in her late seventies. The sun will be just a bit dimmer tomorrow because of her death.
I'll miss her a lot. There's nothing quite like Ella singing any of the "Songbook" albums on a rainy October Saturday.

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
...
There's no lovesong finer
but how strange the change from major to minor
Every time we say goodbye.

Goodbye, Ella.

Chris (Toronto, Canada)

John Caten

For me personally, Ella's death has cut more deeply than all the deaths of late of the finest performers in our nation's history. It was thru listening to Ella that I developed an appreciation for jazz. Without her, there would no Coltrane, Hartman, Vaughn, Holiday, Parker, etc for me. This is something so profound that I cannot begin to explain its depth. So, I have gone back to the basics over the past two days, taking in the Louis duets, the songbooks, yet another listen of Mack the Knife. I was thinking about the Sinatra TV special when they duet on Tramp and Frank just sits right down cross-legged to enjoy Ella's swinging. He was so damn excited and happy...just as I was. No one can sing 'Swonderful and Midnight Sun as Ella did. I just ordered the tickets for the Ella Fitzgerald tribute at Carnegie Hall in July. Until then, I intend to reread everything I have about her and go back and listen to EVERYTHING I have by her.
Even though, I have never seen her, and she was not performing in her last few rather painful years, it was a comfort to share the same time-space continuum with her. She is missed.

Jigar Parikh

It was May 23, 1996, when I found back the music in my life. Someone named Misty helps me to find back the romantic part, the music, the poetry! For six weeks all this is represented by Ella's Misty. Six weeks, day and night, the song comes out of the stereo or just sounds in my head, leading my life back to the greatest happiness I ever knew! June 13, 1996 my friend Misty says farewell, leaving me, not sad, but richer, happier and more complete, more than ever hopelessly in love with the beloved that shares my life ! On June 14, 1996 I write this poem:

From another world, mist rolled into my bay,
from far over the ocean, mist came my way.
A blanket of fog, of confusion it brought,
entering my mind, smothering every thought.
Just for a moment, now the mist's gone away,
but the feelings it brought, forever will stay,
Mist was here for a moment only,
leaving me here, feeling misty and lonely!

In memory of Ella Fitzgerald, the sweetest voice of all times!

Roelof Nuberg

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