Ella Fitzgerald, known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an immensely popular American jazz and song vocalist who interpreted much of the Great American Songbook. In her lifetime, … Her parents were not legally married. Biography Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. Famed jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald brought attention to the name during a career that spanned six decades. The name of the title character in the 2004 film, "Ella Enchanted." Ella Fitzgerald, in full Ella Jane Fitzgerald, (born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.—died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, California), American jazz singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. When she was two-and-a-half-years old, her parents separated. Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia, to William Fitzgerald and Temperance ‘Tempie’ Fitzgerald.