Popular jazz vocalist Natalie Cole, daughter of legendary artist Nat King Cole, died in a Los Angeles hospital on Thursday night. She was 65. Cole had been suffering from various health issues, her family said, and she had cancelled several tours in 2015 citing medical reasons.

Her family said in a statement: “It is with heavy hearts that we bring to you all the news of our mother and sister's passing. Natalie fought a fierce, courageous battle, dying how she lived – with dignity, strength and honour”. The statement was signed by her son Robert Yancey and her twin sisters Timolin and Casey Cole, Reuters reported.

In a career spanning five decades, Cole had multiple hits in the R&B, soul, jazz and pop genres, and was compared to Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin for her singing prowess. She won a Grammy award for her breakthrough single “This Will Be” in 1975.

Through the 1980s, she battled a heroin addiction and personal challenges, but came back into the limelight in 1991 with an album titled “Unforgettable…With Love”, a tribute to songs by her father. The album contained the song “Unforgettable”, which used cutting edge technology at the time to merge her voice with his into a duet that topped the United States charts. She won three Grammys for the song and the album, and went on to collect nine of the awards through the course of her career.

Her other hits included "Everlasting," "Sophisticated Lady," "I've Got love on My Mind," and "Good to Be Back."