Geraldine de Haas, a vivacious vocalist and pioneering jazz impresario who shaped Chicago's jazz scene for over four decades, died of natural causes on July 28, 2026, at Englewood Health Hospital. She was 91. Her son, actor/singer Darius de Haas, announced her passing.
De Haas first gained fame as a member of the sibling group Andy and the Bey Sisters in the 1950s and 1960s, blending jazz, gospel, and soul. The group recorded three albums for RCA Victor and Prestige, toured Europe for 16 months, and performed with legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke. But it was her work as a producer and advocate that cemented her legacy.
After moving to Chicago in 1968, de Haas became a tireless champion of jazz. When Duke Ellington died in 1974, she organized a tribute concert in Grant Park that united the jazz community and eventually led to the creation of the Chicago Jazz Festival. Howard Reich, former Chicago Tribune jazz critic, noted that without de Haas, the festival might not exist.
In 1981, de Haas founded Jazz Unites, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to bringing jazz to the public. She also served as Director of Performing Arts and Access Programs for the Illinois Arts Council from 1983 to 1993. Her efforts earned her numerous awards, including a Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalists Association and a Duke Ellington Scholarship in her name.
Vocalist Kurt Elling remembered her as a mentor who taught him how to carry himself on stage. Chicago vocalist Tammy McCann praised her collaborative spirit, saying de Haas elevated young artists without ego.
De Haas is survived by her children Darius and Aisha, and her son-in-law Kyle Rudy. She was preceded in death by her husband Edgar, brother Andy Bey, and sister Salome Bey. Her life's work was driven by a simple mission: to expose jazz to everyone. As she once said, 'People need to see what we have given to this world.'
