Famous for his beret, be-bop sunglasses, and his trumpet whose horn points diagonally upward toward the heavens, who was this jazz all-star who died in 1993?

The musician described is John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, whose visual trademarks are as legendary as his music. His most famous accessory, the trumpet with its bell bent upward at a 45-degree angle, was the result of a happy accident. In 1953, someone fell on his instrument during a party, bending the horn. Gillespie discovered he preferred the altered sound and found that it projected better over the band, so he had all his future trumpets made with the signature upward bend. This unique trumpet, along with his beret, horn-rimmed glasses, and famously ballooning cheeks, created one of the most iconic images in music history.

Beyond his unforgettable stage presence, Gillespie was a true revolutionary. Alongside saxophonist Charlie Parker, he was a principal architect of bebop in the 1940s, a new form of jazz defined by its fast tempos, complex chord progressions, and virtuosic improvisation. He was also a pioneer in fusing jazz with global sounds, most famously incorporating Latin rhythms into his music through his collaboration with Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo. This fusion created the subgenre of Afro-Cuban jazz, cementing his legacy as one of the most innovative and influential figures in 20th-century music.