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Popular English actress and jazz singer Cleo Laine, born Clementine Dinah Hitching, has passed away at the age of 97. Cleo Laine was born on October 28, 1927, to Jamaican veteran Alexander Sylvan Campbell and English farmer's daughter Minnie Hitching.
Cleo’s singing career officially began when she was 24 years old, following her successful audition to be a part of the Johnny Dankworth Seven. She branched out internationally in the 1970s, where she had a successful Australian tour, launched a New York concert, organised coast-to-coast Canadian tours, and made several television appearances.
Cleo Laine married twice, first to George Langridge. Cleo and Giearge, who was a roofer, married in 1946. Their union produced a son named Stuart, who passed away in 2019. Cleo and George divorced in 1957 after eleven years of marriage.
Cleo met her second husband, John Dankworth, during her audition for his Johnny Dankworth Seven. The two musicians married in 1958 and had two children, namely Jacqui Dankworth and Alec Dankworth. John Dankworth died in 2010.
Laine is survived by her two children, Jacqui and Alec, and four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
More details on Cleo Laine’s death
Cleo Laine passed away on Thursday, July 24, 2025. The news was confirmed by The Stables, a music venue situated in Wavendon and founded by Cleo and her late husband John in 1970.
In a tribute shared on the theatre’s official website, Cleo’s passing was announced.
“The Stables is greatly saddened today by the news that one of its founders and Life President, Dame Cleo Laine, has passed away.”
The tribute further described how Cleo and her late husband influenced the jazz industry.
“Dame Cleo and her late husband Sir John Dankworth were world-renowned jazz musicians with a love and an interest in all types of music,” it read. “In 1969, they founded the charity Wavendon Allmusic Plan, converting an old stable block in the grounds of their home in Wavendon, Milton Keynes, into a centre for music and music education.”
“The Stables is now one of the UK’s best-loved music venues, presenting around 400 gigs and 200 education events each year,” it added.
Chairman of the Wavendon Allmusic Plan Charity, David Meadowcroft, wrote in a statement:
“Dame Cleo was a remarkable performer who was loved by audiences around the world, and her commitment to ensuring young people had access to great music and music education will continue through the work of The Stables.”
Monica Ferguson, the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of The Stables, also wrote in a statement:
“Dame Cleo was admired greatly by fans, other musicians and by The Stables staff and volunteers. She will be greatly missed, but her unique talent will always be remembered.”
Cleo Laine was a Grammy-winning musician and Tony-nominated actress.
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