NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – As the world continues to mourn the loss of legendary singer Natalie Cole, her former husband, a Nashville pastor, is sharing memories of the woman who was once his wife.
“Hurt goes through my heart, remorse goes through my heart, sadness goes through my heart,” said Bishop Kenneth Dupree. “It’s a tragic, deep loss.”
Those are the words Bishop Dupree, of Victory Church, used when describing his feelings about losing 65-year-old Cole.
The two met in 1999, married in 2001, and spent three years together as husband and wife.
“We did a lot of things together. We traveled the world together, we lived together, we loved together, we laughed together, we cried together, and it was all tremendous,” said Depree.
Cole, the daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, won nine Grammys during her career.
Her hits include “This Will Be,” “Unforgettable,” and “Inseparable.”
The singer had been ill for some time.
She underwent a successful kidney transplant in 2009. Her kidney troubles began in 2008 when she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
She passed away Thursday night at a Los Angeles hospital due to complications from ongoing health issues.
“She died like she lived,” Bishop Dupree. “A woman of great strength, a woman of great dignity, a woman of style, a woman of sophistication and I’m glad to report she died in the way she lived.”
