Many famous people have lived in Los Angeles over the decades. But not many of them are so famous that the word “KING” is added to their name.

One notable exception is singer and jazz pianist Nat "King" Cole.

Cole was among the most prominent African-American entertainers in the world from the late '40s to the mid-'60s. His music was laidback and mellow, but his impact on the music world during an era of tumultuous change was anything but.

He broke racial barriers by buying a mansion in Hancock Park, at the time, a “whites-only” neighborhood. He ranked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and Dean Martin. This year marks a milestone for Cole’s legacy.

Harleigh Cole lives in Encino and is the grandson of the late great Nat King Cole. He's also musically talented in his own right.

The way he plays his grandfather's old piano at the Capitol Records studio, it sounds like he's channeling Nat King Cole right through his fingertips. Harleigh has been to this studio many times, both to record music, and as a representative of his iconic music family.

As he walks around with the studio manager and is introduced to musicians that are there on this day, he checks out Studio A where his grandfather used to record. “

I was in this studio when my aunt recorded her tribute to her father. Nat recorded over 700 songs for Capitol Records here. It's known as 'the house that Nat built' because, I guess there's a number of reasons but one of them being that his record sales largely contributed to its construction."

His aunt by the way, is the world-renowned Natalie Cole. Harleigh’s mother, Carole, was the eldest of Nat’s children.

Nat King Cole seems to be everywhere these days. A larger than life mural brightens up one side of the Capitol Records building. He's even in City Hall. 

Harleigh had the honor of accepting a proclamation into the Congressional Record honoring Nat King Cole and his legacy. March 17 is the 100th anniversary of Cole's birth.

Nat King Cole is also being celebrated on the other side of town in the hit show Lights Out: Nat King Cole at the Geffen Playhouse.

Harleigh saw the play last week.

“I was intrigued by this version of Nat because usually when people talk about him, they're not referencing his connection to civil rights and the challenges and struggles he had to go through as perhaps the most popular African American performer of this time,” said Harleigh.

As he walks through Hancock Park, Harleigh stops by the enormous house where his grandfather once lived on Muirfield Avenue.

Harleigh, like all of Nat’s grandchildren, was born after he died from lung cancer in 1965. But he still feels very connected to him.

“Through his music and performances and the many stories I've heard from family members as well as things I've read about him, I truly feel like I know him, and I'm happy to be able to say that that,” he said.