HE WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 26TH IN 1898 IN BROOKLYN, DIED JULY 11TH IN 1937, 71 YEARS AGO IN HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA. HE WAS BORN JACOB GERSHOWITZ, HIS PARENTS IMMIGRATED FROM RUSSIA. THEY LIVED IN A POOR JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD. HE WAS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN SPORTS UNTIL THE FAMILY GOT A PIANINO IN THEIR HOUSE. HE WAS ABOUT 12 YEARS OLD AT THIS TIME. NEVER HAD ANY MUSICAL TRAINING BEFORE.HE ENJOYED BEING PLAYFUL ON THE PIANO, EVEN WAS COMPOSING SOME MELODIES.AMAZED HIS FAMILY. HE DID HAVE A JOB, WORKING WITH A LOCAL CHOIR AS A BACKGROUND PIANIST. HE HAD SOME LOCAL MUSIC TEACHERS, BUT SOON HE WOULD BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH CHOPIN,LISZT,DEBUSSY'S MUSICAL ART.STUDIED MUSIC HISTORY, DESPITE ALL HIS MUSICAL TRAINING, HE HAD A PROBLEM READING MUSIC FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. HIS FIRST SUCCESS CAME IN 1919 WITH HIS SONG CALLED "SWANEE", IT DID APPEAR ON RECORDS, BEEN SOLD MORE THAN 100 000, GERSHWIN BECAME VERY FAMOUS OVERNIGHT. THREE YEARS LATER IN 1922 COMPOSED HIS FIRST "JAZZOPERA" "BLUE MONDAY BLUES", IN 1924 FOLLOWED BY "RHAPSODY IN BLUE". FOLLOWED BY PIANO CONCERTO IN F-MAJOR,"AN AMERICAN IN PARIS",AND NUMEROUS FILMMUSICAL'S , THEATRE MUSIC. IN 1932 HE RECEIVED THE PURLITZER PRICE FOR OF "TEE I SING" A BROADWAY PRODUCTION. IN 1935 IN NEW YORK DEBUTED HIS OPERA "PORGY AND BESS". SOON AFTER HE FOUND HIMSELF IN HOLLYWOOD, WRITING FILM MUSICS.HE BECAME WELL KNOWN,SUCCESSFUL,RICH, BUT NEVER BEEN HAPPY. HE BECAME A LONER,DEPRESSED. HE SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME ALONE, PAINTING,SKETCHING. HE DID NOT HAVE ANY SUCCESS WITH MARRIAGE. THE MOST PAINFUL TIME OF HIS LIFE CAME IN 1936 WHEN HE MET CHAPLIN'S WIFE, PAULETTE GODDARD, HE FELL VERY MUCH IN LOVE WITH HER. CHAPLIN'S WIFE DID NOT RETURN THIS LOVE. GERSHWIN FELL INTO EVEN DEEPER DEPRESSION. NOBODY WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS. SOON AFTER HE WAS SHOWING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS ALSO. ON JANUARY 11TH OF 1937 WHILE HE WAS PERFORMING HIS PIANO CONCERTO IN F-MAJOR WITH THE LOS ANGELES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, HE PASSED OUT. LATER ON, HE DID HAVE A LOTS OF HEADACHES. HE WENT THROUGH MOOD CHANGES, BEEN INACTIVE, HIS FRIENDS THOUGHT, THIS WAS DUE TO THE HOLLYWOOD LIFESTYLE. SOON AFTER HE BECAME VERY ILL, BEEN UNSTABLE ON HIS FEET. HE JUST HAD 3 MORE WEEKS TO LIVE. HE REFUSED TO STAY IN A HOSPITAL, ON JULY 9TH HE COLLAPSED, ARRIVING TO THE HOSPITAL HE WAS PARALYZED ALREADY,HE PASSED AWAY FROM BRAIN CANCER ON JULY 11TH IN 1937. HIS WORK IS IN USE ALL OVER THE WORLD. MANY FAMOUS PEOPLE PERFORMED HIS MUSIC, ELLA FITZGERALD,FRANK SINATRA,NINA SIMONE,LOUIS ARMSTRONG . IN 1945 MOVIE WAS MADE OF HIS LIFE TITLED "RHAPSODY IN BLUE"