Nancy Wilson

Nancy Wilson, the Grammy-winning “song stylist” and torch singer whose polished pop-jazz vocals made her a platinum artist and top concert performer, has died. She was 81.

Wilson, who retired from touring in 2011, died after a long illness at her home in Pioneertown, Calif., a desert community near Joshua Tree National Park, her manager and publicist told The Associated Press late Thursday night.

Influenced by Dinah Washington, Nat “King” Cole and other stars, Wilson covered everything from jazz standards to “Little Green Apples” and in the 1960s alone released eight albums that reached the top 20 on Billboard’s pop charts.