Legendary singer (1915–1959), revered as one of the greatest and most individual vocalists in the history of blues and jazz, who died from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 44. Rare and dramatic ALS signed “Lady Day,” one page, 7.25 x 10.5, John Bartram Hotel, Philadelphia [Holiday’s hometown] letterhead, no date [circa late 1950s]. Holiday writes to her last husband, Louis McKay. In full [her spellings and punctuation retained]: “Louis When you left this morning I know you had no more feeling for me so lets get together lets call this whole thing off[.] Your not happy with me and I am very unhappy[.] Thank you for everything you have done for me[.]” The letter retains its original envelope, which bears Holiday’s handwritten notation “Mr. Mckay, Room 435, Personal.” While published sources differ, and the precise chronology of Holiday’s marital history is somewhat unclear—she was in several common-law and “official” relationships alike, all of which failed—biographer Farah Jasmine Griffin dates Holiday’s marriage to McKay, a Mafia enforcer and onetime unsuccessful pimp, to December 1951. In her 2001 biography, If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery, Griffin also notes that Holiday and McKay were arrested together for heroin possession in Philadelphia on February 23, 1956, providing one possibility for the date of the letter. John Chilton and Buck Clayton, authors of the Billie’s Blues: The Billie Holiday Story, 1933–1959 (1989), state that “although the couple had lived together for several years, they were only legally married in 1956, after the Philadelphia police raid.” More significantly, “The couple’s relationship was seldom tranquil during their common-law union; after the legal marriage the stormy scenes became more and more frequent. By the fall of 1957, the estrangement was total, and the couple began living apart....” The weary tone and the arching acknowledgement of “everything you have done for me” further suggests that the letter dates from Holiday’s last years, when she and McKay were separated (though never actually divorced). One final and poignant aspect of the letter is the fact that, while still in the envelope, it was torn vertically into three pieces—a gesture that, while speculative, suggests that either Holiday herself tore up the letter in a moment of regret before it was sent, or McKay tore it up, unread, in a fit of anger (a much-commented-upon aspect of his personality). All three of the tears bear tape stains from previous, evidently early repairs (no tape remains on the front; more recent tape is present on the reverse. The leftmost stain very lightly touches the “L” in “Lady”; the central stain and tear touch the “dy.” The sheet is very slightly toned at the edges and has a few tiny chips (related to the tears) at the bottom edge. The writing is clear, dark and fully legible throughout. Of the mere handful of letters from Holiday to have reached the market in the last two decades, the present example is the only one written to McKay—and a more emotional, personal message from Holiday could scarcely be imagined. An extraordinary relic of this most storied of American musicians! R&R COA.
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