David Warren Brubeck passed away on December 5, 2012, which was one day before his 92th birthday on December 6. He was an American jazz pianist and composer, considered one of the foremost exponents of cool jazz. Many of his compositions have become jazz standards。His mother taught him how to play piano, but he’s never learned to read music. Later, as a student at the College of the Pacific, he was nearly expelled when one of his professors discovered that he couldn't read music, even he played well enough that this deficiency went mostly unnoticed. The college eventually agreed to let Brubeck graduate only after he promised never to teach piano.