Nat "King" Cole, a member of Thomas Waller Lodge 49 in Los Angeles, was an American jazz pianist, singer and one of the first African Americans to have his own television show. Since his death in 1965, he has remained enormously popular worldwide, adding five posthumous Grammys to the single one he received during his lifetime. Cole owed his success to a soft baritone voice. He was convinced smoking enhanced his rich singing tone and maintained a three-pack-a-day habit during his adult years. Prior to each recording session, he would smoke several cigarettes in quick succession to enhance the effect. Regrettably, the practice took his life at the young age of 45 when he died of lung cancer in 1965.
