NEW ORLEANS — Lillian Theresa Boutté-l’Etienne, a who was named the “New Orleans Musical Ambassador” in 1986, died May 23, 2025. She was 75.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held Saturday, June 7, at noon at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in New Orleans. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. at the church.

Boutté-l’Etienne was the second person in New Orleans history, after Louis Armstrong, to receive the title of Musical Ambassador. She lived in Hamburg, Germany, for more than 30 years before returning to New Orleans, where she was cared for by her goddaughter Tanya Ellsworth-Boutté.

Throughout her career, Boutté-l’Etienne championed New Orleans culture and worked to support musicians and health initiatives. She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, particularly through her longtim

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