Billy Tipton — Jazz Musician's Gender Revealed After Death

Billy Tipton, an accomplished American jazz musician and bandleader who had performed across the Pacific Northwest for over 50 years, died in Spokane, Washington. When paramedics arrived, they discovered that Tipton — who had lived as a man since the 1930s — had been assigned female at birth. Tipton had married women, adopted three sons, and built an entire career and family life as a man. The revelation made international headlines, though Tipton's sons steadfastly maintained that he was their father.