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John B. Williams Enters Hospice After Fall and Brain Surgery

Family says the veteran bassist’s fall accelerated preexisting dementia, leaving him unable to walk or speak.

Overview

  • Williams reportedly needed brain surgery after a recent fall and is now in hospice receiving round-the-clock nursing care according to his wife’s account to TMZ.
  • The family says the injury sped up preexisting dementia and has left Williams unable to walk or talk, with one of his last reported conversations taking place with his daughter.
  • Williams built a multi-decade career as a jazz and television bassist, including seven years as The Tonight Show house bassist and nearly six years with The Posse on The Arsenio Hall Show.
  • He worked with major jazz figures and spent about 25 years with the Nancy Wilson Trio, and he released a late-career album titled The African Queen that pays tribute to Horace Silver.
  • Reporting on his current condition is based mainly on family statements to a single entertainment outlet, and there is limited independent confirmation of medical details so the situation may evolve as more sources report.