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In her prime, O'Day was described as a scat singer and a natural improviser whose unique interpretations energized the most familiar songs. She inspired many singers, including June Christy and Chris Connor.

Her fame came at a price.

She suffered from a 16-year heroin addiction and an even longer alcohol problem. Wild, drug-related behavior and occasional stints in jail on drug charges earned her the nickname "Jezebel of Jazz," a term she hated.

"I tried everything," she once said. "Curiosity will make you go your own way."

She overdosed many times and on one occasion in the late 1940s, it was almost fatal.

The experience shocked her into giving up drugs, but she continued to drink.

Her 1981 memoir "High Times Hard Times" tells of her long struggle with drug addiction and her romance with drummer John Poole.

In late 1996, O'Day fell down the stairs of her Hemet, California, home after a drinking binge. She was admitted to a hospital with a broken arm but ended up with severe food poisoning and pneumonia.

She survived the ordeal but her recovery -- both physical and emotional -- was painful. She left the hospital in a wheelchair and didn't walk for nearly a year. Her right hand was paralyzed but worst of all, she said, she had lost her singing voice.

Although she blamed the complications on poor hospital care, the near-death experience convinced O'Day to give up alcohol.

It took nearly a year to get her voice back and start singing again. But once she did, she was right back on stage.

She received a lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1997.

For the last years of her life, O'Day performed at various Los Angeles night spots.

O'Day had no children and no immediate family.

Wolfman wrote:
rack being a senile old fuck who knows !!

This video honoring the Newport Jazz Festival combines footage from the musical event with highlights of the 1958 America's Cup Race. Acclaimed as one of the best jazz films ever made, JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY captures some legendary performances by jazz greats such as Thelonius Monk and Louis Armstrong in a whimsically beautiful manner, transporting the viewer back to that clear day in 1958. Director Bert Stern's camera not only captures the humanity and brilliance of these jazz legends, it also creates an aura of warm nostalgia for that very special era in American history.

This entertaining documentary fully captures the joy and music of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, which featured some of the best performers of the era.
Among the many jazz greats included are Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Anita O'Day, George Shearing, Dinah Washington and Gerry Mulligan. "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Lazy River" are just two of the classic songs you'll hear.
In addition to the musical highlights, director Bert Stern has also included footage of the America's Cup Yacht Races, which took place in Rhode Island at the same time as the jazz festival.