“Champion” Jack Dupree; Jazz Pianist Influenced Rock Musicians

“Champion” Jack Dupree, 82, New Orleans-born jazz pianist whose barrelhouse style influenced such rock musicians as Eric Clapton and John Mayall. Orphaned as a child, Dupree was forced to earn his own living at 14 and took up professional boxing. His nickname from the ring, Champion, stuck. Dupree had lived in Europe since 1958, and visited his native New Orleans in 1990 for the first time in 32 years. He was regarded as one of the last links to the original blues style, and said his songs reflected his own experiences and observations as a poor youth. On Tuesday in Hanover, Germany, of cancer.