Vernon Reid has posted on his Facebook page that legendary drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson has died at the age of 73.

I just got the news that my most important teacher & mentor Ronald Shannon Jackson passed away this morning. I am undone.

From Jazz Times:

Ronald Shannon Jackson, a drummer and composer who worked largely within the realms of free jazz, funk and fusion, died this morning, Oct. 19, in Ft. Worth, Tex. Jackson’s passing was confirmed by his cousin, Tobi Hero, on Jackson’s Facebook page. No cause of death was cited, however, Jackson was suffering from leukemia and had been living in a hospice. He was 73.

Jackson was a revolutionary in the avant-jazz scene taking cues from Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor. With his group The Decoding Society, Jackson shattered the walls between jazz and rock and in collaboration with musicians like James “Blood” Ulmer, Vernon Reid and Bill Frisell introduced a style of music uniquely its own.

Here’s some recent footage (2012) of Jackson performing at the Kessler Theater near his hometown of Fort Worth:
 

With Vernon Reid and Melvin Gibbs at the Knitting Factory in 1999: