- Winner of 8 Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award (1997).
- Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995.
- In 2005, he became the first living person, other than a reigning monarch to obtain a commemorative stamp in Canada.
- Elected into the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame in the Class of 1996.
- Composed "A Royal Wedding Suite" for the wedding of King Charles III and Princess Diana (1981).
- He was awarded the O.C. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on June 23, 1972 and the C.C. (Companion of the Order of Canada) on June 25, 1984 for his services to music.
- Co-founded the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, whose president he was from 1960 and 1963.
- Honored with the IMC-UNESCO Music Award (November 2000).
- Had a stroke in 1993 that restricted the use of his left hand.
- Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
- Pictured on a Canada 50¢ commemorative postage stamp issued on 15 August 2005, his 80th birthday.
- Father of seven children: four daughters (Lyn, Sharon, Gay, Celine) and three sons (Oscar Jr., Norman, Joel).
- He had one child, Celine, with his widow Kelly. He also had three daughters (Lyn, Sharon, and Gay) and three sons (Oscar, Jr., Norman, and Joel) with his first and third wives.
- Often compared to piano great Art Tatum, his childhood idol.
- Played both trumpet and piano at a young age, but after a bout with tuberculosis weakened his lungs, he focused on the piano.
- Recipient of a Lifetime Grammy Award in 1997.
- For additional credits, see The Oscar Peterson Trio.
- Child with Kelly Peterson: daughter Celine.
- Younger brother of music teacher Daisy Sweeney who first taught him and uncle of Sylvia Sweeney.
- "Canadiana Suite" (1964) is considered his best known composition.
- Born to Daniel Peterson, a porter, and his wife Kathleen Olivia John Peterson, a domestic worker, he grew up in Little Burgundy, a neighborhood in Montreal.
- Among his many fans were musicians Herbie Hancock and Elton John.
- March 2008: Posthumous honoree for the Canadian Songwriters' 5th Annual Gala, with Paul Anka.
- Schoolmates with actor Christopher Plummer.
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