Acclaimed jazz musician Ken Peplowski was discovered dead aboard a Celebrity Summit cruise ship this week after missing a scheduled performance. He was 66.
Peplowski, a renowned clarinetist and saxophonist, was found dead on the last day of “The Jazz Cruise” program aboard the vessel, Lee Mergner, jazz consultant for Signature Cruise Experiences, wrote in a Wednesday announcement.
“It’s rare that we have to give bad news to for our guests and the community at large. But on February 1st, the final day of The Jazz Cruise ’26, Ken Peplowski died suddenly,” Mergner wrote.
Peplowski was slated to play on the cruise beside a quartet in the late afternoon, but failed to show up.
After a search was launched for the legendary bandleader, he was found dead inside his cabin, a passenger told TMZ.
“When Ken did not show up for a 4 PM show that featured Shelly Berg, one of his closest friends and colleagues, you knew that something was wrong. Our worst fears were soon confirmed. Ken had died,” Mergner said in the statement.
Since 2021, Peplowski had been suffering from multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells of the bone marrow. The cause of his death has yet to be determined, according to Mergner.
“He battled the often fatal disease with a unique combination of courage, fortitude, and humor. After all, humor was just one of Ken’s many remarkable gifts,” Mergner said.
“He was without question the quickest and sharpest wit amongst all our artists. Ken always brought joy to every gig or occasion,” he added.
Peplowski was aboard the Celebrity Summit cruise ship for a seven-day, seven-night program of jazz music performances. Roughly 100 musicians come together to perform over 200 hours of music in “exciting configurations” during the sea voyage, according to the event’s website.
The vessel set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 27 and returned to the port on Tuesday after stopping in Cococay in the Bahamas and San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Peplowski, hailing from Ohio, was described by British jazz critic Russell Davies as “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist,” according to an obituary for him in Downbeat.
He first came to prominence in legacy swing bands before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s, according to the outlet. Peplowski put out his final studio album, “Unheard Bird,” in 2024.
“I considered Ken a good friend, someone with whom I could pick up the phone and talk to for an hour or so about life, music, politics, sports, comedy, literature, film…well, you get the idea,” Mergner wrote.
“He was a friend to me, but he was a friend to many people. That was clear when he went public with his illness, and the jazz community … came forward during his time of need with support (both economic and emotional). It was the least that we could do for someone who gave us so much joy for so long.”