Byron Janis death: Legendary pianist passes away at 95

Byron Janis, the world-renowned classical pianist, has died at the age of 95. The musician passed away on Thursday (March 14) at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, his wife, Maria Cooper Janis, confirmed.

“I have been blessed with the privilege for 58 years of loving and being loved by not only one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, but by an exceptional human being who took his talents to their highest pinnacle,” Maria said in a statement.

Born Byron Yanks on March 24, 1928, the pianist later settled on the surname Janis. He grew up in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and demonstrated early signs of talent on the xylophone and piano.

Aged just 18, Janis became the youngest musician signed to RCA Victor Records. He was the first student of Vladimir Horowitz, the legendary pianist considered one of the greatest of all time.

Janis also became the first American musician chosen to participate in the 1960 Cultural Exchange between the U.S. and the Soviet Union and the first American concert pianist to be asked back to Cuba, 40 years after bilateral relations deteriorated due to the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

During his illustrious career - which spanned 85 years - Janis performed six times for four sitting presidents at the White House. He received several honours including the Commander of the French Legion d’Honneur for Arts and Letters, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Stanford Fellowship from Yale and the gold medal from the French Society for the Encouragement of Progress.

He will be remembered for masterfully interpreting the works of legendary composers such as Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Prokofiev. As a composer, Janis scored major musical productions including 1993's stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates.

Since 1973, Janis performed with psoriatic arthritis in both hands. Despite keeping it private for years, his condition was publicly disclosed by Nancy Reagan in 1985 after a performance at the White House.

He is survived by his wife Maria Cooper, daughter of Oscar-winning actor Gary Cooper. Janis and Cooper's son, Stefan, sadly passed away in 2017.