Mulgrew Miller, the talented jazz pianist and composer and director of the jazz studies program at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, died at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, from complications of a stroke he had suffered a week earlier. He was 57 years old.
A native of Greenwood, Mississippi, Miller studied at the University of Memphis and began his professional career with the Duke Ellington orchestra. Over a long career, he has been featured on more than 400 recordings. He was appointed director of the jazz studies program at William Paterson University in 2005. During the 2008-09 academic year, he served as artist in residence at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our faculty member and colleague Mulgrew Miller,” said Kathleen Waldron, president of William Paterson University. “Mulgrew was an incredibly talented musician whose impact on our students is immeasurable, and we are grateful for how generously he shared his talents and knowledge in engaging with these budding musicians. He was a wonderful member of our University community and we will miss him.”
