Clark Terry, the influential jazz trumpeter, has died at the age of 94. Terry’s death was announced yesterday by his wife Gwen.

Born in St. Louis in 1920, Terry played with jazz greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and many. He credited Louis Armstrong as one of his mentor’s and Miles Davis widely considered Terry to be his mentor. Terry stepped into the national spotlight with his role on The Tonight Show as the first African American staff musician. Terry spent more than a decade as a member of Johnny Carson’s house band and performed several of his originals including “Mumbles” and his rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “Just Squeeze Me (But Don’t Tease Me).”

Terry remains one of the most recorded jazz musicians, having appeared on 905 known recording sessions. He was honored with the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, marking the fifth trumpet player to receive the award along with Armstrong, Davis, Gillespie and Benny Carter. Terry also served in World War II as a bandsman in the U.S. Navy.