Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth (28 October 1927 – 24 July 2025), was a celebrated English singer and actress, widely admired for her distinctive voice and scat singing talent. She enjoyed a long and influential career in jazz and theatre.
Married to renowned jazz composer Sir John Dankworth, Cleo was also the proud mother of two accomplished musicians, bassist Alec Dankworth and singer Jacqui Dankworth, making the Dankworth family a cornerstone of British jazz.
Early Life & Family Background
Cleo Laine was born as Clementine Dinah Hitching on 28 October 1927 in Southall, Middlesex. Her father, Alexander Sylvan Campbell, was a Jamaican World War I veteran who worked as a labourer and street performer.
Her mother, Minnie Hitching, was a farmer’s daughter from Swindon who was disowned by her family for being in an interracial relationship. Cleo spent much of her childhood in Southall, moving frequently with her family.
She didn’t learn her real birth name until age 26, while applying for a passport, due to her parents not being married when she was born. Laine attended Featherstone Road School, later Mellow Lane Senior School, and took early singing and dancing lessons.
Before launching her music career, she worked various jobs, including as a hairdresser’s apprentice, hat-trimmer, librarian, and in a pawn shop.
Personal life & Husband
In 1946, Cleo Laine married George Langridge, a roof tiler, and they had a son named Stuart. The couple divorced in 1957. Sadly, Stuart passed away in 2019 at the age of 72. In 1958, Laine married musician John Dankworth.
They remained together until he died in 2010. On the day he died, Laine performed at The Stables theatre’s 40th anniversary and announced his passing at the end of the show.
British Jazz Singer Is Dead at 97
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, peacefully passed away on 24 July 2025 at the age of 97. Her death was announced by The Stables, the music venue she and her late husband Sir John Dankworth founded. Known for her unprecedented musical versatility and four‑octave vocal range, she was widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest jazz voices.
Despite a long career, in her later years her voice gently mellowed, and she had stepped back from regular performance but remained deeply linked to The Stables as its life president.
Cleo Laine’s legacy endures through her artistry, her children Alec and Jacqui, who continue in music, and the institutions she helped build in British jazz history.
Net Worth, Ethnicity & Religion
Cleo Laine was of mixed ethnicity—her father was Jamaican and her mother was English. She followed no specific religion publicly. Over her long career in music and acting, she earned both fame and financial success. At the time of her passing in 2025, her estimated net worth was around $5 million.
Career Details
Cleo Laine began her career at age 24 after successfully auditioning for John Dankworth’s band. She later performed with his orchestras and married him in 1958. Alongside her jazz career, she took on major stage roles in plays and musicals like Show Boat, which ran for a record 910 shows.
Laine found success internationally, touring Australia and the U.S., performing at Carnegie Hall, and even appearing on The Muppet Show. She won a Grammy for her 1983 live concert recording and received a Tony nomination for The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Known for her powerful voice and scat singing, she was praised as one of the best singers in the world.
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