The truly great singer and very popular music artist who was nicknamed 'Lady Day' was Billie Holiday. Holiday was born in April 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was to become a superstar of her day. She first rose to prominence in the 1930’s with a unique style that reinvented the conventions of modern singing and performance.

More than 80 years after making her first recording critics tell us that Billie’s legacy continues to embody what is elegant and cool in contemporary music. Holiday’s complicated life and her genre-defining autobiography “Lady Sings the Blues” made her a cultural icon.

It is now truly believed that the evocative, soulful voice which Billie boldly put forth as a force for good, turned any song she sang into her own. Today, Billie Holiday is remembered for her musical masterpieces, her songwriting skills, creativity, and courageous views on inequality and justice. On July 17, 1959, Holiday died of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver. She was 44; she was buried in Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org