Basic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Robert Adam Yancy |
| Born | October 14, 1977 |
| Died | August 14, 2017 (age 39) |
| Primary Occupation | Musician — drummer, working musician |
| Mother | Natalie Cole (1950–2015) |
| Father | Marvin Jerome Yancy (1950–1985) |
| Notable Family Lineage | Grandson of Nat “King” Cole and Maria Cole |
| Public profile | Performed with his mother; appeared in tributes and memorial events |
A personal introduction — why his story matters to me (and maybe to you)
I’ll admit it up front: family sagas with a soundtrack — the ones where you can hear a rimshot under the dialogue and a piano come in right when the scene turns tender — are my favorite kinds of stories. Robert Adam Yancy’s life reads like a modest but resonant refrain in the Cole–Yancy composition. Born October 14, 1977, he carried bloodlines that read like a jazz liner note: Natalie Cole as mother; Marvin Yancy as father; Nat “King” Cole and Maria Cole looming as the family’s elder statespeople of song. Yet Robert’s own instrument — literally the drums — kept him grounded in the present, playing the beat that lets others solo.
Family tree and the names you should know
Family can be a long hallway of portraits; in the Yancy–Cole house the frames are gilded, the photographs sepia-tinged, and the stories loud.
| Relationship | Name | Snapshot |
|---|---|---|
| Mother | Natalie Cole (1950–2015) | Grammy-winning singer; Robert frequently performed as a drummer with her and was present at family tributes. |
| Father | Marvin Jerome Yancy (1950–1985) | Gospel musician, producer and pastor; early collaborator with Natalie. |
| Grandfather | Nat “King” Cole (1919–1965) | Legendary jazz pianist and vocalist — the family’s musical anchor across generations. |
| Grandmother | Maria Cole (Maria Hawkins) | Singer and matriarch who helped steward the Cole legacy. |
| Extended family | Aunts, cousins (Cole family) | Present in obituaries and memorials; close-knit in public recollections. |
Dates anchor these people in history: Marvin Yancy passed in 1985 at a young age; Natalie Cole died December 31, 2015; Robert died August 14, 2017. Numbers, when stacked, feel like a score: births, deaths, gigs, memorials — the numeric scaffolding behind memory.
Career notes — a working musician, not a headline act
Robert’s life in music wasn’t built for billboard headlines — it was built for the groove. He worked as a drummer, a sideman who made the music breathe. He played alongside his mother on tours and in private performances; he showed up for the family’s most charged moments, including the ceremony that closed the chapter on Natalie’s life. You won’t find a sprawling solo discography credited to Robert in the way you might for a headline star — his credits read like a working musician’s ledger: live dates, studio sessions, a few film/TV listings here and there. That in itself tells a story: music as vocation, music as family business, music as daily work.
Public moments and a media ripple
Robert wasn’t a tabloid staple, but certain moments cut through. In 2016 he publicly criticized the Grammy Awards tribute to his mother, calling the televised homage less than what the family had hoped for — a sting that played in outlets and conversations for a while. Then, in August 2017, his sudden death in his 39th year became headline news: found in his San Fernando Valley residence, his passing was initially described publicly as sudden and consistent with natural causes, with family noting the shock and sorrow of it all. The pattern here is brief but intense: public remarks, a family reckoning, a ripple of remembrances on social feeds.
On grief, legacy, and the weight of a famous name
Being the child of a famous singer and the grandchild of a legend is like carrying a vinyl record in your backpack — it rattles when you move, sometimes a sweet jingle, sometimes a scratch. I feel that whenever I look at Robert’s life: a member of a dynasty measured in Grammy wins and household-name songs, and yet a person whose best-known work was supporting others musically. He performed at his mother’s funeral; he kept playing the beat while the melody streaked across generations. There’s an emotional arithmetic here: 1 son, 2 parents gone before him, a lineage that spans jazz, gospel, pop — and the quiet, often uncredited labor of a working musician.
Dates, numbers and the more concrete ledger
Numbers tell a blunt story: born 1977; father’s death 1985; mother’s death 2015; Robert’s death 2017. Age markers: Marvin Yancy died in his mid-30s; Robert left this world at 39. Those numbers are not trivia; they are punctuation marks in a family’s sentence: commas and full stops that shape how the next generation speaks and sings. Robert’s timeline intersects two of the twentieth century’s musical eras — the Cole legacy stretching back to Nat’s mid-century height, and Natalie’s late-20th-century career — and yet Robert’s own professional life lived in the decades when being a sideman was both steady work and quietly invisible.
The small public controversies and the household whispers
Beyond the Grammys remark, there’s little in the way of sustained controversy around Robert — mostly family statements, official obituaries, social media remembrances. The online chatter after his death included heartfelt tributes and some unverified personal recollections, the digital equivalent of dressing a portrait. Those whispers are part grief, part fandom, part the inevitable filling-in of blanks when someone who moved through public life quietly departs.
FAQ
Who was Robert Adam Yancy?
Robert Adam Yancy was a working musician and drummer, born October 14, 1977, best known as the son of singer Natalie Cole and producer Marvin Yancy and as a member of the extended Cole musical family.
When did Robert Adam Yancy die?
He died on August 14, 2017, at the age of 39.
What was his relationship to Nat “King” Cole?
Robert was the grandson of Nat “King” Cole through his mother, Natalie Cole.
Did Robert have a solo music career?
No major solo commercial catalogue is widely documented; he primarily worked as a drummer and supporting musician.
Was he married or did he have children?
Major public obituaries list him as unmarried; some memorial posts online mention personal names but those reports are inconsistent and not confirmed in mainstream accounts.
What public statements did he make about awards or media?
He publicly criticized the 2016 Grammy tribute to his mother, calling parts of it “disrespectful,” which sparked media conversation at the time.
How old was his father when he died?
Marvin Jerome Yancy passed away in 1985 at a relatively young age (mid-30s), leaving behind a musical legacy that connected directly to Robert’s upbringing.
How is he remembered by fans and family?
He is remembered as a musician who carried the family rhythm — a drummer who supported the songs that defined a household name, and as a son and grandson whose life intersected with larger American music history.
