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Acclaimed big band leader and clarinet player Artie Shaw has died in Los Angeles at the age of 94.

A New Yorker by birth, Shaw found success in 1938 with Cole Porter's 'Begin the Beguine'. Part of the fabric of the golden age of jazz, he worked with icons such as Billie Holliday, during an era when many white bandleaders refused to hire black people.

With his matinee idol looks and presence, it wasn't long before Hollywood came calling, and he was twice nominated for an Oscar. Other Hollywood souvenirs came in the form of various glamorous wives, Ava Gardner, Lana Turner and Evelyn Keyes to name but a few.

He produced two collections of short fiction and an autobiography, and turned his focus to writing permanently, retiring from performing in the 1950s.

A true jazz legend, he epitomized an era, but his legacy remains timeless.