Musician. He was a Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist, who was known for professionally collaborating with Stephane Grappelli, a jazz violinist. Born in Belgium, his French father, Jean Eugene Weiss, chose to use his wife's maiden name of Reinhart instead of Weiss. His given name of Django translates to "Jean" in the native Belgium language of Walloon. Even though his musical talent was recognized early, he had little informal education. On November 2, 1928, his left hand was severely burned in a caravan fire, leaving his fourth and fifth fingers badly scarred with limited movement, yet he became a brilliant guitarist, overcoming this disability. His unique style of playing was directly attributed to the disfiguration of his hand. Besides his hand, his leg was critically burnt to the point of considering amputation, yet his leg was saved, but he walked with a cane the rest of his life. He was hospitalized for 18 months. During this time, his wife gave birth to his son, but within a short period, the couple divorced, with his son taking his stepfather's surname. His son, Henri Lousson Baumgartner, became a talented musician, and as an adult using his biological surname, recorded music with his biological father. Following a long-time relationship, he married Sophie Ziegler, and the couple had son. After meeting Grappelli in a café in 1937, the two musicians became a duet. Within a few months, the two had added two rhythm guitarists and a bass player to form the "Quintet of the Hot Club of France." The group was among the first to play jazz that featured the guitar as a lead instrument. They co-wrote much of the material they played, such as "Minor Swing" in 1937, "Swing 39" in 1939 and "Djangology" in 1936, which was re-released in 2005. In 1935 the band released recordings in the United States with Decca Records. He and Grappelli shared a talent for conveying a great variety of moods and emotions with their instruments. The group was an instantaneous sensation but disbanded in 1939 with the start of World War II. While he stayed in France to form another band, Grappelli stayed in England during the war. After the Nazi invasion of France, his life during World War II was difficult as the Nazi labeled the Romani population with a brown triangle on their clothing, much like the Jewish yellow star, and thousands of Romani people were being sent to concentration camps. With many of the Nazi officers enjoying his jazz music, his life was saved. He attempted to escape France twice and each time captured. His 1940's tunes "Nuages" became the unofficial liberation anthem of Paris. After the war, he rejoined Grappelli in England to resume his career. In the autumn of 1946, he made his first tour in the United States, including two nights at Carnegie Hall. While in the United States, he toured with Duke Ellington. Besides his own band, he played with other talented musicians such as Count Basie. He returned to France in 1947. After the war, he experienced depression, which impacted his career as he was failing to appear for concerts, becoming a recluse, and refusing tours. Keeping with the times, he changed from his acoustic guitar to an electric one. A few months before his death, he made a final record with his Nouvelle Quintette. He suddenly died on the streets of Paris from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 43. He is still revered among guitarists as having the nimblest fingers on a fretboard, and many still study his style of playing. Into the 21st century, annual Django festivals have been held throughout Europe and the United States. A biography has been written about his life and in February of 2017, the French film, "Django" premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.