Maria Cole, Natalie Coles Mother, Dies at 8. Maria Cole, the widow of singing legend Nat King Cole, the mother of Natalie Cole and in her own right a former Big Band singer, died Tuesday in Boca Raton, Fla., after a brief battle with cancer, her family announced. She was 8. 9. Our mom was in a class all by herself. She epitomized class, elegance, and truly defined what it is to be a real lady, said Natalie Cole and her siblings, Timolin and Casey Cole, in a statement. AOL latest headlines, entertainment, sports, articles for business, health and world news. Watch Cat Ballou Online Full Movie' title='Watch Cat Ballou Online Full Movie' />We are so blessed and privileged to have inherited the legacy that she leaves behind along with our father. She died how she lived with great strength, courage and dignity, surrounded by her loving family, the Coles statement also said. Maria and Nat Cole, the smoky smooth voice behind such standards as Unforgettable, Nature Boy, Smile, Too Young, Mona Lisa and Ramblin Rose and, in 1. African American ever to host his own network TV show, NBCs The Nat King Cole Show were married from 1. Watch Carry On Regardless HDQ. Western Cat Ballou, with Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda. Maria Hawkins Cole was born in Boston and moved to North Carolina to live with an aunt after her mother died in childbirth, the family said. Having studied voice and piano, she moved to New York to pursue a music career with the Benny Carter band. A first marriage, in 1. Tuskegee Airman Spurgeon Ellington, ended with his death during World War II. Maria sang with the Count Basie Band before moving on to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as its vocalist until 1. She met Nat King Cole at New Yorks Club Zanzibar. Watch Cat Ballou Online Full Movie' title='Watch Cat Ballou Online Full Movie' />The couple traveled throughout Europe in the 1. Maria recorded several songs with her husband for Capitol Records and sang at top venues in California and on the East Coast, said the family statement. Watch Housebound Download Full'>Watch Housebound Download Full. After her husbands death, Maria did charity work as well as briefly co hosted a local daytime TV talk show in Los Angeles. Natalie was born in 1. Timolin and Casey in 1. Another child, Carol, known as Cookie, was adopted in 1. She died of cancer in 2. Natalie was undergoing kidney transplant surgery. Besides her three children, Maria Cole is survived by a sister, two sons in law and six grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Nat King Cole Generation Hope Inc. Nat King Cole and Maria Cole, with daughters Natalie left and Carol Cookie, 1. Find bio, credits and filmography information for Lee Marvin on AllMovie Much like Humphrey Bogart before him, Lee Marvin rose through the ranks of movie stardom as. Frank Driggs CollectionGetty.