The legendary jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd of the 1950s collaborated with top artists of his time on various albums and best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a jazz artist, passed away. He was 80.

Byrd died February 4 in Delaware at Kent General Hospital according to his nephew, jazz pianist Alex Bugnon. He said, his uncle's health deteriorated over the past year and had been in a coma prior to his death.

"He's not alive," said Bugnon, as he first revealed Byrd's death in a Facebook post Thursday. "It's not a rumor. He died [Feb. 4]."

Byrd a beloved educator at Delaware State University joined the faculty in 1996 until 2001 as an artist-in- residence. Returning back 2009 with the title of distinguished artist-in-residence, while he held until 2011.

"As far as I'm concerned, he never left Delaware State because he was always doing things at the university and for the university," said Bradley Skelcher, a close friend of Byrd's at Delaware State University. "He's a master performer, master teacher, a master jazz artist. I've never seen anyone like him ever."