Williams was a child prodigy who joined the great Miles Davis Quartet (with pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Ron Carter) in 1963 at the tender age of 17. "A drummer like Tony comes along only once in 30 years," Davis said.
By 1969, he'd formed his own trio, Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar, Larry Young on organ and Jack Bruce on bass. They blazed the trial for the fusion of rock and jazz made popular by McLaughlin's own Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea and Weather Report.
Williams, known for his bright yellow drum kit, went on to play with a Who's Who of jazz and rock greats, from John Coltrane to Bruce Springsteen. Not only did he write jazz tunes, he also studied classical composition at the University of California in the 1980s--his piece "Rituals: Music for String Quartet, Piano, Drums and Cymbals was debuted by Herbie Hancock and the avant-garde classical group, the Kronos Quartet in 1990.
Williams rejoined bandmates Hancock, Carter and saxophonist Wayne Shorter for a tribute album to Davis that won a Grammy for Best Jazz Record in 1994.
His final release was last year: Wilderness on Ark 21 Records, featuring Hancock, Pat Metheny on guitar, Michael Brecker on sax and Stanley Clarke on bass plus a 30-piece orchestra.