Sonny Rollins, the tenor saxophonist whose combination of technical mastery, melodic invention and raw improvisational power made him one of the most consequential figures in jazz history, died Monday (May 25) at his home in Woodstock, New York. He was 95. His death was announced on his official website. Rollins had been living with pulmonary fibrosis.

His passing marks the end of a direct line to jazz’s post-war golden age. Rollins came of age alongside Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker — and outlived them all, spending the decades after their deaths as a living link to that era’s creative revolution.

In a career that stretched from his first professional recordings in 1949 through his final public performance in 2012, he released more than 60 albums as a leader and remained an active presence in jazz culture well into his later years.

Born in New York City on Sept. 7, 1930, to parents who had emigrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Rollins grew up in Harlem and came to the saxophone in his early teens — first the alto, then the tenor, which he adopted in his mid-teens and never abandoned. By the time he finished high school at Benjamin Franklin, he was already recording. His earliest sessions in 1949 included work alongside singer Babs Gonzalez and pianist Bud Powell, and he was performing with Monk before the age of 20.

The decade that followed established him as one of the instrument’s pre-eminent voices. His 1956 album Saxophone Colossus — recorded for Prestige in a single session — is considered one of the essential documents in all of jazz, and the track “St. Thomas,” a calypso-inflected original, became one of the music’s most enduring standards.

That same year he recorded Tenor Madness, a historic session that placed him alongside Coltrane in direct musical conversation. Way Out West (1957), A Night at the Village Vanguard (1957) and The Freedom Suite (1958) followed in quick succession, each adding new dimensions to his reputation.

In 1959, feeling he had reached a plateau, Rollins stepped away from performing — seeking a place to practice alone, he found one on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge, where he played through the night without fear of disturbing anyone. His 1962 return was marked by the album The Bridge, which announced not just a comeback but an artist who had been quietly, privately working to push further. It was characteristic of the way he approached music throughout his life — restless, unwilling to settle, always in pursuit of something just ahead.

He won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for This Is What I Do in 2001, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, and the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for “Why Was I Born” — from Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert — in 2006, the same year he swept DownBeat’s readers poll. In 1995, New York City Hall named a day in his honour. In 2017, he donated his personal archives to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

His wife Lucille, his partner of nearly 40 years, died in 2004.

Icons recognize icons! At the American Music Awards Monday (May 25), KATSEYE took home the award for new artist of the year, beating out a star-studded lineup of nominees that included Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, Alex Warren, Ella Langley and sombr. Naturally, the global group shouted out a fellow world-conquering pop group for paving the way for their award-winning moment.

“We want to give a special shout-out to BTS tonight for inspiring us to represent our culture at a global scale,” said group member Sophia Laforteza after thanking key behind-the-scenes players such as HYBE’s Chairman Bang and Geffen Records CEO John Janick. Each of the five young ladies — Manon Bannerman, who is on hiatus, was not with the group at the ceremony — delivered a bite-sized acceptance speech, with Lara Raj later noting, “We’ve always been on a mission to celebrate diversity and represent our people and our cultures.”

Earlier in the night, the group performed its latest single, “Pinky Up,” which reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The high-octane hit, which comes with infectious complementary choreography, previews the group’s forthcoming WILD EP, which is currently slated for an Aug. 14 release. In addition to new artist of the year, KATSEYE picked up nominations for best music video (“Gnarly”) and breakthrough pop artist. They are now the first girl group to win new artist of the year at the American Music Awards since the category was introduced in 2004.

KATSEYE will support its new project with The Wildworld Tour, which will take the group to arenas across Europe and North America. The 31-date trek will kick off on Sept. 1 at Dublin’s 3Arena and conclude on Nov. 28 with the second of two shows at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes.

In the meantime, fans can catch KATSEYE at Governors Ball in New York City (June 5), Hinterland Music Festival in Saint Charles, Iowa (July 30), and Head in the Clouds in Pasadena, Calif. (Aug. 8).

BTS, of course, opened this year’s American Music Awards with a fiery performance of “Hooligan,” before showing up midway through the ceremony to present SZA with the best female R&B artist award and accept the song of the summer honor for “SWIM” before taking artist of the year.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

Miami’s Kaseya Center filled up with sombrero vueltiaos and Colombian flags to receive Carlos Vives’ Tour Al Sol on Saturday night (May 23). 

At 9 p.m. sharp, three large screens — including a round one in the center that represented a sun (hence the tour’s name) — lit up the sold-out arena: “We all need the sun to be happy,” Vives’ voice recited in an intro video.

In the conceptual two-hour show, the Colombian star took spectators on a journey through the solar system all the way to infinity, but “in my homeland, the sun hits incredibly hard,” he continued in the clip before he got on stage. 

Flaunting a black denim jacket and jeans, and his bouncy, signature dirty blond curls, Vives kicked off the concert with “Volví a Nacer,” followed by “La Bicicleta” and “Canción Bonita.” 

“How are you, Miami? The city of all,” he said. “For me, it is important to be in this city. Music took me around the world — not to become more famous, but to show my family what lay beyond Colombia. I have been singing for many years, and one learns who it is they sing for: my country, my land, my people, my region.”

Throughout the night, Vives, who was joined by 11 musicians, also serenaded fans with his vallenato and cumbia classics, including “La Gota Fria,” “El Cantor de Fonseca,” “Carito,” “Pa’ Mate,” “Cuando Nos Volvamos a Encontrar,” “Fruta Fresca” and “Robarte un Beso.”

Among his notable surprise guests were Niña Pastori for a performance of “Sombra Perdida”; Sergio George for “Si yo volviera a nacer”; Grupo Niche for the salsa-cumbia version of “La Tierra del Olvido”; and Fonseca for “Quiero verte sonreir.” 

 “Each show of Tour al Sol will be a concert from sunrise to sunset — a journey through the emotions of music that moves with the sun,” Vives previously told Billboard Español. “In short, Tour al Sol is a concert with the sun of La Provincia.”

The Tour Al Sol, which kicked off April 16 in Toronto, will wrap June 5 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan.

The Pussycat Dolls are back. Twenty years after the group’s AMAs debut, PCD returned as a newly reunited trio to the 2026 American Music Awards for a fiery performance on Monday (May 25).

“AMAs, make some noise,” Nicole Scherzinger told the crowd to open the performance. Wrapped in red latex and flanked by PCD running mates Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt, the trio launched into its 2006 smash hit “Buttons” sans Snoop Dogg.

“We’re back!” Scherzinger shouted. Smoke and plenty of pyro filled the MGM Grand Garden Arena on what was a steamy day in the Las Vegas desert. “Buttons” was followed up by 2008’s “When I Grow Up,” both of which reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10.

Backup dancers joined the choreography before The Pussycat Dolls ushered fans into its new era with the group’s comeback single “Club Song.”

Spliff Star and Busta Rhymes invaded the stage as the only rap acts slated to perform at the 2026 AMAs. Busta understood the assignment, draped in a cherry red leather jacket and matching pants.

The New York rap legend’s masterful flow and breath control provided a lift alongside PCD for its Hot 100 top 10 hit “Don’t Cha” to close out the set. The audience seemed to approve of the performance as Tinashe was vibed in the crowd. “We love you,” Scherzinger said as the applause poured in.

Anthony Ramos and comedian Gabriel Iglesias gave The Pussycat Dolls their flowers while presenting the next award on stage.

The Pussycat Dolls reunited earlier in 2026 with Scherzinger, Roberts and Wyatt holding down the fort. Unfortunately, the trio canceled its comeback PCD Forever Tour slated for the summer. However, the group will still be performing at the WeHo Festival in Los Angeles on June 6.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.