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American singer-songwriter, composer, actor, and music innovator known for his distinctive gravelly voice and genre-blending style.Born in Pomona, California, Waits rose from 1970s Los Angeles club scenes to global acclaim. His career spans over 50 years, merging blues, jazz, vaudeville, and experimental sounds. Married collaborator Kathleen Brennan in 1980, shifting toward avant-garde work. Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2011).

• Developed signature raspy voice after years of chain-smoking and whiskey consumption during early performances.
• Married Kathleen Brennan (a script editor at Francis Ford Coppola's studio) in 1980; she co-wrote most albums since 'Swordfishtrombones' (1983), pushing his experimental direction.
• Known eccentric: Once paid a hotel bill with loose change in a shopping cart, used junkyard percussion (car parts, metal pipes) in recordings.
• Fiercely protective of artistic integrity: Sued advertisers who mimicked his voice (Frito-Lay, 1990; Audi, 2009), winning both cases.
• Acted in films by Coppola ('The Outsiders', 'Bram Stoker's Dracula') and Jim Jarmusch ('Down by Law', 'Coffee and Cigarettes').