<p>Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, a towering figure in modern jazz, has died at the age of 91, his longtime manager and producer Russell Gloyd said on Wednesday (December 5).</p><br /><p>Brubeck died of heart failure on Wednesday morning after he fell ill on his way to a regular medical exam in Connecticut, just one day short of his 92nd birthday, Gloyd said.</p><br /><p>His Dave Brubeck Quartet put out one of the best selling jazz songs of all time: "Take Five.” </p><br /><p>Brubeck was born in Concord, California, on December 6, 1920. His father was a rancher and as a teenager Brubeck was a skilled cowboy. But his mother, a music teacher, made sure he took up the piano at age 5.</p><br /><p>In college, he planned to be a veterinarian, but within a year he was majoring in music and playing jazz in nightclubs.</p><br /><p>In February 1989 Brubeck, who had a history of heart problems, underwent triple-bypass surgery but kept playing. Well into his 80s, he still put on some 80 shows a year. </p><br /><p>Brubeck and his wife, who also was his agent and lyricist, had two sons, Matthew, a cellist, and Michael, and a daughter, Catherine.</p>
