Obituary
Obituary
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Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Drummer Lawrence Leathers Dead at 37
Grammy-winning jazz drummer Lawrence Leathers died Sunday in New York City. He was 37. ABC News reports that Leathers was discovered unconscious in a stairwell of his Bronx, NY, apartment building before he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police believe he was a victim of domestic violence and confirmed that his girlfriend, 41-year-old Lisa…
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Harlem Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas Dies at 88
Harlem kingpin Frank Lucas, who inspired the 2007 feature film American Gangster with Denzel Washington, has died. According to CBS News, Lucas passed Thursday in New Jersey. He was 88. Raised in North Carolina, Lucas found his way to New York in the 1960s, eventually becoming a major drug trafficker based out of Harlem, known…
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Melvin Edmonds, Founder of R&Bâs Soulful After 7, Dies at 65
Melvin Edmonds, older brother of legendary hitmaker Kenny âBabyfaceâ Edmonds and a founding member of the R&B group After 7, which rose to fame in the â90s, has died. He was 65. Melvin Edmondsâ death Saturday was announced by the group Monday on Facebook, and confirmed to the Indianapolis Star by his son Melvin. Edmonds…
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Unita Blackwell, Civil Rights Activist and the 1st Black Woman to Be Elected a Mayor in Mississippi, Dies at 86
Unita Blackwell, a veteran of the civil rights movement and winner of a MacArthur âgeniusâ grant who was the first black woman to be elected a mayor in the state of Mississippi, has died. She was 86. Blackwellâs son confirmed that she died Monday, according to the Associated Press. Blackwell was born in the impoverished…
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Chris McNair, Father of 16th Street Church Bombing Victim Denise McNair, Dies at 93
His eldest child, an 11-year-old girl named Denise McNair, was brutally taken from him and their family by a group of homegrown terrorists known as the Ku Klux Klan in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham, Ala.,âs 16th Street Baptist Church. Now, Chris McNairâfather, husband and history-making political figure in his own rightâhas died at his…
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Rashida and Kidada Jones Say Goodbye to Mother Peggy Lipton
It was a sad Motherâs Day for Rashida and Kidada Jones after the death of their mother, actress Peggy Lipton, on Saturday, following a battle with cancer. Lipton was 72. Her daughters issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times, writing: âShe made her journey peacefully with her daughters and nieces by her side. ……
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Rest in Power: Famed Lindy Hop Dancer Norma Miller Dies at 99
She was known as the Queen of Swing, a dancer who helped make famous the lindy hop, a fast-paced, acrobatic dance popular during the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s. On Sunday, the queen, Norma Miller, died of congestive heart failure at her home in Florida. She was 99 years old. Miller, who…
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Federal Judge and Civil Rights Icon Damon J. Keith Dead at 96
Judge Damon J. Keith, a civil rights icon who became the sixth black person in U.S. history to serve on the federal court of appeals, died at his home in Detroit Sunday morning surrounded by family. He was 96. Keith, a grandson of slaves who was born July 4, 1922, in Detroit, served as a…
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Singer Andre Williams, the 'Godfather of Rap', Dead at 82
R&B singer-producer Andre Williams, whose indelible musical journey included collaborative efforts with Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Ray Charles, has died at the age of 82. On Wednesday, Williamsâ record label, Pravda Records, announced his passing on Facebook, paying tribute to their fallen star. âIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of…
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Broadway Legend Carol Channing Dies at 97, ‘Proud as Can Be’ of Her Black Heritage
The beloved singer and actress enjoyed more than 70 years of success on stage and screen.