Jazz drummer Tony Reedus was born in Memphis, where he joined pianist Mulgrew Miller's trio in the late 1980s and early 1990s.



A superb musician, Tony Reedus picked up the drums when he 13 or 14 years old and broke into the upper echelon of jazz just seven years later, performing and recording with innovative trumpeter Woody Shaw.



He also played and recorded with such masters as trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, saxophonist Benny Golson, and guitarist Dave Stryker. Mr. Reedus also was a leader who made three solo albums.



Tony Reedus was noted for his all-around drum kit acumen - in particular, his ride cymbal beat.



Tony Reedus returned to college in the middle of his career, earning a B.A. in music from Rutgers University-New Brunswick in 2005.



Tony Reedus died Sunday, November 16, 2008 of a pulmonary embolism en route by ambulance to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in the Richmond Hill section of Queens.



He had collapsed at John F. Kennedy International Airport after getting off an American Airlines flight from Bologna, Italy, where he had been performing with LeDonne. He was 49.



Tony Reedus lived in Irvington with his wife and their 5-year-old daughter, Cameron. He had been troubled with undetermined gastrointestinal issues since August.