William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967 Dayton, OH) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include “Take the ‘A’ Train“, “Chelsea Bridge“, “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing”, and “Lush Life“. In 1964, Strayhorn was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, which took his life in the early morning of May 31, 1967, when he was with his partner, Bill Grove, not in Lena Horne’s arms as has often been falsely reported. By her own account, she was touring in Europe when she received the news of Strayhorn’s death.