Jimi and Duke Ellington were the first two names to spring to mind, but I think I agree with the choice of Beethoven. His very late works were getting kind of strange (some critics I've seen have attributed some of that to possible hearing loss) in a very interesting way. Aside from being an immense talent, he was a guy who died while his art seemed poised to take "the next step".
Still like to have Jimi and the Duke back, tho.
Still like to have Jimi and the Duke back, tho.