Ken E. Sampson, 60, a jazz percussionist and storyteller, appeared as part of the Chicago Jazz Festival and the Jazz Festival of Montreal. He also had performed in "Shoot Me While I'm Happy" both at the Victory Gardens Theater and when it toured Chicagoland high schools during Black History Month. The musical conveys the hardships of black entertainers in the 1920s and 1930s.
A resident of Hyde Park, he died Monday in Ravenswood Hospital.
"Ken had the ability to form meaningful friendships in a single meeting," his wife, Susan, said.
When Mr. Sampson was a member of the Air Force's 353rd Squadron, he won the Tactical Air Command's National Talent Contest as a drummer. He also helped capture a national championship as a member of the Chicago-based Giles Drum and Bugle Corps.