Isaac "Ike" Cole was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 pianist and composer.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Cole was the younger brother of Nat "King" Cole

Nat King Cole

Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...

 and the older brother of Freddy Cole

Freddy Cole

Lionel Frederick Cole is an American jazz singer and pianist, whose recording career has spanned over fifty years. He is leader of the Freddy Cole Quartet, which regularly tours the US, Europe, the Far East and South America....

, and played drums as a youth. He played bass drum in a U.S. Army band during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, and moved back to Chicago after his discharge, where he formed his own jazz trio. He appeared on television in the 1950s and held a residency in Las Vegas

Las Vegas metropolitan area

The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

, later touring internationally. He made regular appearances at Chicago clubs such as the Pump Room and the Playboy Club before moving to Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 in 1986 with his wife, Margie. Ike and Margie Cole remained married until Ike's death, lasting 52 years.

In 1990 he and Freddy Cole, who was a singer and pianist, toured together in tribute to Nat Cole, and in 1991 Ike played keyboards on Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole

Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...

's Unforgettable, which won a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

. He died of cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 in 2001 in Sun Lakes, Arizona

Sun Lakes, Arizona

Sun Lakes is a census-designated place in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 11,936 at the 2000 census. Sun Lakes is an active adult community comprising five active adult country club communities in three homeowner associations...

. His jazz library was donated to the Hamilton High School

Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Hamilton High School is the second public high school built in Chandler, Arizona. It was the first high school in Chandler to have a branch of the Chandler Public Library integrated into the school.-Name:...

music department.