However, while his fame was spreading, he reportedly had become disenchanted with the comedic, irreverent persona that fans had come to expect from his broadcasts, instead seeking more respect as a serious artist.
He appeared to be making strong strides in that direction after a trip to England in , recording the ambitious composition "London Suite. After returning to New York, he began writing songs for another revue, Early to Bed. Waller had maintained a heavy travel schedule into the s, despite declining health, but the wear and tear eventually caught up with him.
While returning home from another West Coast trip in late , he contracted bronchial pneumonia, an illness that silenced the beloved and influential jazz great for good during a stop in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 15, We strive for accuracy and fairness.
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In his mother, Adeline Waller, passed away and Waller moved in with the family of his piano tutor, Russell Brooks. While living with Brooks, Waller met James P. Johnson and Willie Smith , two of the greatest stride pianists of the era.
Johnson decided to take Waller under his wing and taught him the stride style of piano playing, greatly advancing his level of musical education. In , Waller made his recording debut as a soloist for the Okeh label and in he recorded a number of piano rolls for the QRS Company.
That year, he also launched the band Fats Waller and His Rhythm sextet, which went on to record hundreds of tracks, combining jazz with slapstick comedy. Waller managed to parlay his radio career into a film career, appearing in the movies "Hooray for Love!
In radio and film, alike, he used slapstick comedy for laughs, but he grew tired of being typecast. He was serious about his craft and wanted his fans to view him in the same way. In , he recorded the complex composition "London Suite" in an effort to change public perception about his artistry. In the late s, Waller traveled heavily, making cross-country trips from the East Coast to the West Coast for live performances and acting roles. That year, he also composed the music for the Broadway show "Early to Bed," which featured a mostly white cast.
Rarely, if ever, had an African American been hired to compose a white musical. Waller took advantage of the many opportunities that came his way, but his frenzied schedule and long-time alcohol abuse began to affect his health. In late , when he performed at a club called the Zanzibar Room in Santa Monica, California, he began to display symptoms of illness. After the gig, he boarded a New York-bound train to return home, but his health took a turn for the worst as he approached the Kansas City, Missouri, area.
On December 15, , the jazz legend died from bronchial pneumonia at the age of The politician, civil rights activist, and pastor Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Well after his death, the music of Fats Waller continues to live on, with two of his recordings—"Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose"—inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in and , respectively. Besides, given the fact that Waller influenced a long line of pianists of and after his time, including Count Basie who studied with Fats , Teddy Wilson , Art Tatum , Thelonious Monk , Dave Brubeck and countless others, his impact has been truly profound.
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