Just as we were putting the finishing touches on our 2009 Blues Fest coverage, sad news came in of Koko Taylor’s death. Last week, her publicist sent an email stating that the blues belter born Cora Walton was recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed.

The rest of the press release read:

Taylor’s most recent live performance was at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN, on May 7, 2009. She performed her signature song, “Wang Dang Doodle,” after receiving the award for Traditional Blues Female Blues Artist Of The Year. This was Taylor’s 29th Blues Music Award, making her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist. In addition, she has received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award, which is among the highest honors given to an American artist. Her most recent CD, 2007’s Old School, was nominated for a Grammy (eight of her nine Alligator Records albums were Grammy-nominated). She won a Grammy in 1984 for her guest appearance on the compilation album Blues Explosion on Atlantic Records.

It’s a major loss, not just for the hub of the electric blues, but for the music world as a whole. Taylor headlined the 25th Annual Blues Fest last summer, and undoubtedly next week’s performances in Grant Park will celebrate her life and music.