Prominent personalities

- **Chief Seattle (Sealth)** — Duwamish and Suquamish leader for whom the city is named. - **Jimi Hendrix** — legendary guitarist and singer-songwriter, born in Seattle. - **Bruce Lee** — martial artist and actor who lived and taught in Seattle; his grave is at Lake View Cemetery. - **Quincy Jones** — influential producer, arranger, and composer born in Seattle. - **Bill Gates** — Microsoft co-founder closely associated with the Seattle region. - **Paul Allen** — Microsoft co-founder, philanthropist, and major Seattle civic figure. - **Frances Farmer** — actress born in Seattle. - **Dave Grohl** — musician associated with Seattle’s grunge era through Nirvana, though not a Seattle native. - **Kurt Cobain** — iconic Nirvana frontman strongly tied to Seattle’s music scene. - **Chris Cornell** — singer of Soundgarden, central to Seattle’s rock legacy. - **Macklemore** — rapper born in Seattle. - **Sir Mix-a-Lot** — rapper from Seattle, known for nationally successful recordings. - **Ry Cooder** — musician born in Seattle. - **Jacob Lawrence** — celebrated painter who taught at the University of Washington and became an important Seattle arts figure. - **Gary Payton** — Basketball Hall of Famer strongly associated with the Seattle SuperSonics. - **Sue Bird** — WNBA star whose career became deeply identified with Seattle through the Seattle Storm. - **Kshama Sawant** — prominent local politician and former Seattle City Council member. - **Norm Rice** — former mayor of Seattle and significant civic leader.