Dame Cleo Laine, a virtuosic singer, glided across British tv screens in the 1960s and 1970s, a symbol of the free-spirited mood of the age. The four-octave range of her voice stretched from husky contralto depths up to glittering top notes that operatic sopranos would have struggled to reach.

Cleo Laine, whose husky contralto was one of the most distinctive voices in jazz and who was regarded by many as Britain’s greatest contribution to the quintessentially American music, has died.

Dame Cleo Laine has died at age 97. Her death was announced by The Stables, the music venue that she and her husband, Sir John Dankworth, founded. Critic Bob Mondello — a longtime fan — offers an appreciation.