Ken Peplowski, a celebrated jazz musician known for his skill with the saxophone and clarinet, and his charming performances, passed away on a cruise ship at the age of 66.
He died after a five-year fight with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting plasma cells in the bone marrow, as shared by a friend and former head of content at the jazz station WBGO.
Jazz musician Peplowski was scheduled to perform on Monday with a quartet during this year’s Jazz Cruise, a yearly music festival that takes place on a cruise ship.
He didn’t show up for his scheduled performance, which led to a search. Authorities eventually found him dead in his cabin, according to a passenger who spoke with TMZ.
Passengers on the cruise ship learned of his passing in an announcement made before the evening’s big band concert, which was met with shocked silence.
Michael Lazaroff, the cruise company’s executive director, described the musician as both a talented artist and an exceptional performer.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Jazz Cruise for further comment.
In a post on the Jazz Cruise’s Instagram, Lazaroff praised Ken as a deeply respectful and prepared musician. He shared that Ken always enjoyed playing with others and was an incredibly talented performer.
Jazz Cruise announced on social media that they will soon hold a larger event to honor the memory of Ken Peplowski, following his recent passing.
Oh my gosh, Scott Peplowski! He’s just incredible. You won’t believe this, but he started clarinet at nine years old! Can you imagine? He grew up in Cleveland, and his dad – a police officer, how cool is that? – actually pushed both him and his older brother to learn instruments. His brother took up the trumpet, and Scott? Well, Scott found his soulmate in the clarinet. It’s like it was destiny!
He explained to Jazz Times that his father, likely living out his own dreams, started a polka band for them called the Harmony Kings, inspired by the Shmenge Brothers.
He started playing at Polish weddings and parties around age 12, and earned enough money doing so that he was able to buy a car as soon as he got his driver’s license.
He jokingly recalled in an interview two years ago that, surprisingly, he felt he was financially better off then than he was at the time of the interview.
He refined his clarinet skills at Cleveland State University and, at 21, got his first major opportunity playing with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Though a famous band from the Big Band era, Tommy Dorsey himself had passed away in 1956 and was no longer leading the group.
The Dorsey Orchestra helped launch a successful jazz career for its leader, who was known for both his incredible musical talent and his playful, engaging personality with audiences and other musicians.
He pointed out that it’s perfectly fine to poke fun at ourselves. He also admitted that much of jazz can be dull and pretentious, adding that you could say the same about any type of music. Just because something is categorized as music doesn’t automatically make it good.
Throughout his career, he also performed with Benny Goodman, a legendary jazz musician and a major figure from the Big Band era. Goodman brought him on board when he revived his orchestra in 1984 after a period of retirement.
According to Peplowski, the musician was so focused on his music that it often negatively impacted his personal life, relationships, and ability to interact with others.
Peplowski remembered Goodman as a surprisingly kind boss. They received good raises and thank-you notes, and he even attempted to help Peplowski land a record deal, offering to produce it himself. However, Peplowski also witnessed Goodman’s abrupt and sometimes harsh side, recalling an instance where he fired a bass player during a rehearsal simply by having another musician immediately brought in as a replacement.
Despite everything, Peplowski stated he’d never played with a musician who could achieve such fantastic results with a band.
A friend, Lee Mergner, shared that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021, in a tribute written after his passing.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always admired people who face challenges with grace, and Ken was a true inspiration. Writer Mergner beautifully captured how he fought a serious illness not just with strength and bravery, but with a wonderful sense of humor. It was actually one of his greatest qualities! Everyone agreed – Ken had the quickest, most brilliant wit of anyone I knew. He really had a gift for making people smile, even when things were tough.
Over ten years ago, during an interview with the Min-On Concert Association in Japan, musician Peplowski stated that music is central to his life.
Jazz feels like a natural form of expression, similar to poetry – it allows me to play and connect with my feelings without overthinking. That’s essentially what improvisation is all about. Through music, we can truly connect and share with one another.
Read More
- Heartopia Book Writing Guide: How to write and publish books
- Robots That React: Teaching Machines to Hear and Act
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) February 2026 Hilda’s “Guardian Battalion” Starlight Pass Details
- UFL soft launch first impression: The competition eFootball and FC Mobile needed
- eFootball 2026 Epic Italian League Guardians (Thuram, Pirlo, Ferri) pack review
- 1st Poster Revealed Noah Centineo’s John Rambo Prequel Movie
- Here’s the First Glimpse at the KPop Demon Hunters Toys from Mattel and Hasbro
- Gold Rate Forecast
- UFL – Football Game 2026 makes its debut on the small screen, soft launches on Android in select regions
- Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews explains why he filters his pictures after images of what he really looks like baffled fans – as his ex continues to mock his matching proposals
2026-02-04 00:04