But her voice lives on...

File this one under "bittersweet."

I was whiling away a recent lazy afternoon by the radio, listening to the American standards station on XM. Up popped this fantastic song called "Listen to My Heart" by a singer named Nancy LaMott.

I was blown away by the power of her voice. "Wow," I thought when the record ended, "I need to find out more about her."

A quick Google search revealed a tragic story.

Nancy LaMott was a talented cabaret singer who first made her name playing clubs in San Francisco. Plagued by illness her entire life (she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease as a child), Nancy was often broke and found herself staring at a big pile of hospital bills.

She finally moved to New York, where she became known as one of the best cabaret singers to ever hit the Big Apple. Noted disc jockey Jonathan Schwartz, an expert in such music, says LaMott is the best cabaret singer since Sinatra.

Her songs are often peppered with positive thinking, odes to an optimistic future in which everything will work out for the best. Sadly, her own story played out under a much different ending.

LaMott was diagnosed with uterine cancer just as her career was taking off. According to her Web site, LaMott opted for hormone therapy over surgery in order to complete her landmark album "Listen to My Heart."

The title song, composed by David Friedman, is a fine piece of music. Her voice soars, far and high, full of optimism and hope. Of special treat is the CD recording an engagement at New York's Tavern on the Green shortly before her death.

Not long after being diagnosed with cancer, Nancy met and fell in love with actor Pete Zapp. They were married just before her untimely death in 1995.

I wish Nancy LaMott were still around to share her beautiful talent with the world. As it is, she's in a better place now, free from pain.

But her music lives on; her talent survives. Ours may not be to question why, but I can't help but wonder why the world was robbed of this remarkable voice.