Chuck Mangione—Rochester native and Grammy-winning jazz flugelhorn and trumpet virtuoso—has died at age 84. According to a statement released by his family on Thursday., Mangione “peacefully passed away in his sleep” at his Rochester home.
Born November 29, 1940, in Rochester, Mangione was immersed in jazz from a young age alongside his brother Gap. He honed his craft at the Eastman School of Music before helping to lead the Jazz Brothers, ultimately launching a career spanning six decades and more than 30 albums.
Mangione achieved international fame with his 1978 hit “Feels So Good,” a rare instrumental jazz-pop single that peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a crossover phenomenon. His softer, melodic style earned him broad appeal and brought jazz into mainstream radio.
Throughout his acclaimed career, Mangione received 14 Grammy nominations, winning two: one in 1977 for his composition “Bellavia” and another in 1979 for “The Children of Sanchez”
He also composed “Give It All You Got,” the official theme of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, performing it live during the global broadcast of the closing ceremonies.
Aside from musical accomplishments, Mangione also gained pop‑culture recognition as a recurring character on the animated sitcom King of the Hill, often appearing as himself and further cementing his cultural legacy
In 2012, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, a fitting tribute for a hometown hero who remained closely tied to the community that shaped him.
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