To Be or Not to Bop became a great trumpeter and even the origin of his signature bent trumpet. Various compositions and albums have been named after Gillespie's book title. To Be or Not to Bop To Be or Not to Bop: Memoirs of Dizzy Gillespie is a 1979 book written by jazz musician, composer and band leader Dizzy Gillespie. The book was released in July 1979 by Doubleday. The University of Minnesota Press re-released the book in 2009. He is known for being the father of bebop. This book tells about his life, and what he went through to make this music flourish. The book
Dizzy Gillespie suspecting that he would not play again. Each musician gave tribute to their friend, this great soul and innovator in the world of jazz." A longtime resident of Englewood, New Jersey he died of pancreatic cancer on January 6, 1993 at the age of 75 and was buried in Flushing Cemetery, Queens, New York City. Mike Longo delivered a eulogy at his funeral. He starred in a film called "The Winter in Lisbon" that was released in 2004. Gillespie has been described as the "sound of surprise". "The Rough Guide to Jazz" describes his musical style: In Gillespie's obituary, Peter