On this day in New York · July 6, 1971

Louis Armstrong Dies at Home in Corona

The trumpeter who taught the world how to swing died in the same modest Queens house he'd refused to trade in, even after he became the most famous horn player on Earth.

The facts

Died: July 6, 1971, in his sleep at home in Corona, Queens, at age 69
Home: 34-56 107th Street, Corona, bought by Lucille Armstrong in 1943 and his address for the rest of his life
Funeral: July 9, 1971, at the small Corona Congregational Church, after fans filed past his casket at the Seventh Regiment Armory
Today: The house is a National Historic Landmark (1976) and a New York City Landmark (1988), now the Louis Armstrong House Museum

Louis Armstrong died in his sleep on July 6, 1971, of a heart attack at his house on 107th Street in Corona, Queens. He was 69, and for the last few years of his life he'd been in and out of hospitals with heart and kidney trouble, still hoping to get back on the road. He and his wife Lucille had bought the house in 1943 while he was out on tour, and she closed the deal without him, and he never lived anywhere else again even after he became one of the most famous entertainers alive. His body lay in state for two days at the Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue while fans filed through, and his funeral was held at the small Corona Congregational Church on July 9, 1971. He's buried a few miles from home, in Flushing Cemetery.

In their words

The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.

Lucille and I, ever since we're married, we've been right there in that block. And everybody keeps their little homes up like we do and it's just like one big family.

Louis Armstrong, on his Corona neighborhood, 1968
Source: Louis Armstrong House Museum
If anybody was Mr. Jazz it was Louis Armstrong. He was the epitome of jazz and always will be.

Duke Ellington, on Armstrong's death
Source: OffBeat Magazine

Why it still matters

Armstrong all but invented the role of the jazz soloist, and fame never talked him into leaving Corona for anything grander. His house on 107th Street still stands as a museum, proof that you don't have to leave Queens to become the most famous trumpet player who ever lived.

Sources

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