Harmonica player Larry Adler, who collaborated with George Gershwin, Kate Bush and Sting, has died at the age of 87.

The BBC reports that the American-born musician, who had been battling cancer for several years, died in a London hospital Monday night, surrounded by family.

Most recently, he had collaborated with Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews on a version of "Young At Heart." His manager, Jonathan Shalit, told The BBC he had recently been planning a tour of China for the harmonica virtuoso.

Surprisingly, the Baltimore native was self-taught and began his professional career at 14. He moved to Britain in 1949 following McCarthy-era accusations of Communist sympathies. His work on the 1953 soundtrack to the film "Genevieve" was Oscar-nominated, although the blacklist meant his credit was originally kept off the film.

Among his other accomplishments: He acted in films, was a prolific letter writer to the satirical magazine Private Eye, worked as a food critic, and published his memoirs, "It Ain't Necessarily So" in 1985.

"He was without doubt one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, and the world is a poorer place without him," Shalit told The BBC.