Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Drummer Lawrence Leathers Found Dead at 37; Girlfriend Charged

Lawrence Leathers, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, has passed away in New York City after an alleged assault over the weekend.

Leathers was found unconscious in the stairwell of his Bronx apartment building and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the New York Police Department. Leathers’ girlfriend 41-year-old Lisa Harris and 28-year-old Sterling Aguilar were arrested on Monday and charged with first- and second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

In a criminal complaint obtained by People, Aguilar allegedly held Leathers in a chokehold for almost 30 minutes as Harris sat on his chest and punched him several times in the face. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his cause of death as homicidal asphyxia with compression of neck.

The Michigan native established a presence for himself on the New York City’s jazz scene after attending the famed Juilliard School. He also formed a trio with pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Paul Sikivie, performing as the back-up band for singer Cécile McLorin Salvant. 

Leathers earned two Grammy awards playing for Salvant, first on 2015’s ‘For One to Love’ and again in 2017 for ‘Dreams and Daggers’, which both won best jazz vocal album. He was scheduled to perform at Smalls Jazz Club, where he frequently played, on Monday.

Lawrence Leathers was 37. 

R.I.P King ??