Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University, he became the pianist and arranger for the vocal group The Hi-Lo’s in the late 1950s. Fischer went on to work with Dizzy Gillespie and Donald Byrd, and became known for his Latin and bossa nova recordings in the 1960s. He composed the jazz standard, “Pensativa”. Fischer was nominated for eleven Grammy Awards, winning two for his albums, Clare Fischer and Salsa Picante Present 2+2 (1981) and Free Fall (1986), where he merged Latin and vocal music. Fischer also became an in-demand arranger for pop albums, working with Prince, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Robert Palmer, and many others.
Fischer wrote for Prince and many other renowned artists including Michael Jackson, Amy Grant, João Gilberto, Paula Abdul, Natalie Cole and more recently Chaka Khan and Branford Marsalis.
Clare Fischer cause of death
On January 8, 2012, Fischer suffered a cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, following a minor surgery a few days before. His wife of 18 years, Donna, was at his side and performed CPR, which saved his life. He remained in ICU on life support, and died on January 26, 2012. Clare Fischer was 83 years old at the time of his death.
Bud Shank & Clare Fischer ‘Wistful Samba’ on Franly Jazz