Nina Simone
Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) The memorial sculpture honoring the life and legacy of Nina Simone celebrates her extraordinary contributions as a musician, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her daughter, Broadway actress Lisa Simone Kelly, posed for sculptor Zenos Frudakis. The over-life-size bronze sculpture includes Simone’s ashes, placed within a sculpted heart. Today, the memorial stands in the Nina Simone Plaza in her hometown of Tryon, North Carolina.
⭐America 250 — Nina Simone’ s Continuing Impact on American Culture
Nina Simone was a profoundly influential American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist, celebrated for her distinctive style of “Black classical music,” which blended jazz, blues, classical, folk, gospel, and pop. Often called the “High Priestess of Soul,” she used her music as a powerful vehicle for emotional expression and social commentary. Simone’s songs became defining anthems of the civil rights movement, including iconic works such as “Mississippi Goddam” and “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.”
She possessed a remarkable ability to transform personal pain and societal injustice into powerful, timeless art—leaving an indelible mark on both American music and the broader struggle for human rights and equality. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, her emotional honesty and uncompromising vision continue to inspire countless artists across generations.
Memorial Monument
Size: Over-life size
Media: Bronze
Location: Nina Simone Plaza, 54 South Trade Street, Tyron, North Carolina
Collection: City of Tyron, North Carolina
Inscription on Plaque:
Dr. Nina Simone
21 February 1933 – 21 April 2003
Music Icon, Freedom Fighter
National Treasure
“It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times.”
Zenos Frudakis, Sculptor
Laran Bronze Studios, 2010