Pharoah Sanders, influential jazz saxophonist, dies at 81

Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders performs on day 1 of the Arroyo Seco Music Festival. (Courtesy/AP)

Pharoah Sanders, the influential tenor saxophonist revered in the jazz world for the spirituality of his work, has died, his record label announced. He was 81.

Sanders, who launched his career playing alongside John Coltrane in the 1960s, died in Los Angeles early Saturday, said the tweet from Luaka Bop, the label that released his 2021 album, "Promises." It did not specify a cause. A phone message to Luaka Bop in New York was not immediately returned.