American jazz musician Chick Corea dies

American jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea died of cancer at age 79, according to a post on his Facebook page. 

The post said Corea passed away due to a rare form of cancer, which was only recently discovered.

"I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun," he said in a message prior to his death, which was shared in the Facebook post. 

23-time Grammy winner

The 23-time Grammy award winner was best known for his compositions such as  "Spain," "500 Miles High," "La Fiesta," "Armando's Rhumba" and "Windows." He was known to push the boundaries of the genre, and worked alongside other jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.

Corea was part of Miles Davis' group from 1968. He replaced Hancock, and played on landmark albums such as "In a Silent Way'' and "Bitches Brew.''

He later formed his own group, Circle, and Return to Forever. Throughout his career, he worked on many collaborative projects, including those with Hancock and Gary Burton. He also performed classical music, standards, solo originals, Latin jazz and tributes to great jazz pianists.

Corea has the most jazz Grammy nominations in the show's history. He has also been nominated for best improvised jazz solo for "All Blues" and best jazz instrumental album for "Trilogy 2," for the awards that will be held in March this year. 

tg/sms (AP, AFP)