Clark Terry, Influential Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 94

 

Mr. Terry was acclaimed for his impeccable musicianship, loved for his playful spirit and respected for his adaptability.

Clark Terry, Influential Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 94
By PETER KEEPNEWS
Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:43:53 GMT

Herman Badillo, Congressman and Fixture of New York Politics, Dies at 85

 

Mr. Badillo, whose political odyssey spanned from Kennedy liberalism in the 1960s to Giuliani conservatism in the 1990s, became the first Puerto Rico-born congressman.

Herman Badillo, Congressman and Fixture of New York Politics, Dies at 85
By ROBERT D. McFADDEN
Wed, 03 Dec 2014 20:37:40 GMT

Harlem advocate dies of cancer at age 75

Harlem advocate dies of cancer at age 75

Sister Mary Nerney, who dedicated her life to incarcerated women and victims of domestic violence, died of cancer Wednesday. She was 75. A pillar in her East Harlem community and a leader in the Catholic social justice movement, she founded numerous alternative to incarceration programs focused on female offenders.

Harlem advocate dies of cancer at age 75
OREN YANIV
Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:19:59 GMT

Longtime Democratic Strategist Bill Lynch Dies At 72

Longtime Democratic Strategist Bill Lynch Dies At 72

Longtime Democratic strategist Bill Lynch, who served as deputy mayor under David Dinkins and worked on numerous presidential campaigns, passed away on Friday at the age of 72.

Longtime Democratic Strategist Bill Lynch Dies At 72
Sat, 10 Aug 2013 02:52:34 GMT

Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released

Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released

Two days after the birthday of iconic human rights leader, El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz (Malcolm X), his grandson, Malcolm Shabazz, was buried next to him and his wife, Dr. Betty Shabazz, at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY, according to a statement released by Shabazz family spokesperson, Terrie Williams. NewsOne has obtained his funeral program.

“Malcolm Shabazz was laid to rest today, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 11:30 AM near his grandparents (Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz) at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY,” the statement reads. “He was surrounded by his mother Qubilah; his aunts–Attallah, Gamilah, Ilyasah, Malaak, Malikah, other family & very close friends. Surprise guest and friend, R&B recording artist, Jaheim, offered his condolences and sang acapella “I Miss You (For Moms)” from his 1st album entitled “Ghetto Love”. Malcolm and Jaheim met at a youth rally The Terrie Williams Agency hosted at a Queens Public Library many years ago.”

As previously reported by NewsOne, Shabazz died from vicious injuries sustained on May 9, 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico, during a brawl at the Palace bar near Plaza Garibaldi, reportedly a dangerous area for tourists.

Two Palace waiters, David Hernandez Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus, have been charged with homicide.

Though that would be neat conclusion for law enforcement, Malcolm’s own words after being arrested and harassed by police en-route to a Hollywoodism conference in Iran allude to a more sinister reality:

In the beginning of 2012 I had been informed that I was under investigation by the F.B.I.’s Counter Terrorism Task Force Unit located in Goshen, N.Y.

…

The formula for a public assassination is: the character assassination before the physical assassination; so one has to be made killable before the eyes of the public in order for their eventual murder to then deemed justifiable. And when the time arrives for these hits to be carried out you’re not going to see a C.I.A. agent with a suit & tie, and a badge that says “C.I.A.” walk up to someone, and pull the trigger. What they will do is to out-source to local police departments in the region of their target, and to employ those that look like the target of interest to infiltrate the workings in order to set up the environment for the eventual assassination (character, physical/incarceration, exile) to take place.

In the days prior to Malcolm’s death, he posted two cryptic — and now arguably foreshadowing — Facebook update about his “powerful enemies” and “weird” messages:

Malcolm’s last Facebook status — one day prior to his death — was a picture of “The Last Supper.”

These updates, as well as the sketchy details surrounding his death have led some people to call for an investigation.

Though the circumstances of his death are tragic, young Malcolm’s legacy will love on.

Words from his absolutely beautiful funeral program tell his story with an honesty that is missing from a mainstream media more concerned with salacious details from his childhood. It speaks of his tireless activism, global humanitarianism, quest to end the modern-day slavery that is the Prison Industrial Complex, the building of Masjids around the country, as well as focusing on the quality of public education.

It tells the story of an emerging leader, a son, a friend, and a father taken away far too soon.

Our hearts continue to be with the Shabazz family during this most difficult time.

View Malcolm’s funeral program here.

Malcolm Shabazz and mother Quibilah Shabazz

WATCH NEWSONE’S EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO WITH MALCOLM SHABAZZ BELOW:

Funeral Program For Malcolm Shabazz Released
Kirsten West Savali
Thu, 23 May 2013 01:09:04 GMT

Grandson of Malcolm X reportedly dead in Mexico City: report

Grandson of Malcolm X reportedly dead in Mexico City: report

The death of Malcolm Shabazz, 29, was reported online by the Amsterdam News, which cited an Internet post by a family friend.

Grandson of Malcolm X reportedly dead in Mexico City: report
Daniel Beekman, Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
Fri, 10 May 2013 07:04:28 GMT

Lou Myers dead at 77

Lou Myers dead at 77

Actor Lou Myers, best known for his role as ornery restaurant owner Mr. Gaines on the television series "A Different World," has died. Tonia McDonald of Myers' nonprofit, Global Business Incubation Inc., said Myers died Tuesday night at Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia.

Lou Myers dead at 77
Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:21:12 GMT

Cleve Duncan, lead singer of the Penguins, dead at 77

Cleve Duncan, lead singer of the Penguins, dead at 77

Cleve Duncan, whose smooth lead voice made the Penguins’s “Earth Angel” into one of the most memorable and romantic songs of early rock ‘n’ roll, died this week at the age of 77. No further details were available.

Cleve Duncan, lead singer of the Penguins, dead at 77
Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:25:37 GMT

Sherman Hemsley Funeral Delayed Due To Will

 

EL PASO, Texas — The embalmed body of actor Sherman Hemsley (pictured), who became famous for his role as television’s “George Jefferson,” will be kept in refrigeration at an El Paso funeral home until a local court rules on the validity of his will.

RELATED: Sherman Hemsley Died From Lung Cancer

In the will Hemsley signed six weeks before dying of lung cancer July 24, he named Flora Enchinton, 56, whom he called a “beloved partner,” as sole beneficiary of his estate, which is estimated in court documents to be more than $50,000.

The will is being contested by Richard Thornton of Philadelphia who claims to be Hemsley’s brother and says the will might not have been made by the actor.

Enchinton told the Associated Press on Wednesday that she had been friends with Hemsley and had been his manager for more than 20 years. Over the time she, Hemsley, and Hemsley’s friend Kenny Johnston, 76, lived together, she said he never mentioned any relatives.

“Some people come out of the woodwork – they think Sherman, they think money,” Enchinton said. “But the fact is that I did not know Sherman when he was in the limelight. I met them when they (Hemsley and Johnston) came running from Los Angeles with not one penny, when there was nothing but struggle.”

Mark Davis, listed in court documents as Thornton’s lawyer in El Paso, did not immediately respond to messages left at his office.

There is no date set for the case to be heard, court officials said. Enchinton said she hopes it will all be cleared in court.

The Philadelphia-born Hemsley played “Jefferson” in the CBS sitcom “All in the Family,” then starred in the spinoff “The Jeffersons” from 1975 to 1985. It was one of TV’s longest-running and most-successful sitcoms, particularly noteworthy for its predominantly Black cast.

Hemsley made “George Jefferson” – the bigoted, blustering Harlem businessman – one of TV’s most memorable characters and a symbol for urban upward mobility.

RELATED: 8 Facts You Didn’t Know About Sherman Hemsley

Sherman Hemsley Funeral Delayed Due To Will
Associated Press
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 01:27:04 GMT

Sherman Hemsley dies at age 74

Sherman Hemsley dies at age 74

Sherman Hemsley passed away Tuesday in El Paso, Texas. The television star rose to national fame with his starring role as George Jefferson on "The Jeffersons." Born on Feb. 1, 1938 in Philadelphia Pa., Hemsley became an actor after serving in the air force.

Sherman Hemsley dies at age 74
Michael Walsh
Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:14:13 GMT

Ernest Borgnine Dead: Oscar-Winning Actor Dies At Age 95

Ernest Borgnine Dead: Oscar-Winning Actor Dies At Age 95

LOS ANGELES -- Ernest Borgnine, the beefy screen star known for blustery, often villainous roles, but who won the best-actor Oscar for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in "Marty" in 1955, died Sunday. He was 95.

His longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, told The Associated Press that Borgnine died of renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife and children at his side.

Read More...
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Ernest Borgnine Dead: Oscar-Winning Actor Dies At Age 95
The Huffington Post News Editors
Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:27:35 GMT

Original Cotton Club Dancer Dies

Original Cotton Club Dancer Dies

Juanita Boisseau performed at the Harlem club in the early 1930s before moving to France and becoming a fixture of Paris' Jazz Age.

Original Cotton Club Dancer Dies
Mon, 28 May 2012 14:19:35 GMT

Longtime DJ Hal Jackson Dies At 96

Longtime DJ Hal Jackson Dies At 96

Legendary disc jockey Hal Jackson, the first black radio announcer on network radio whose career spanned 70 years, died Wednesday at age 96. | View Jackson's One On 1 profile from 2004.

Longtime DJ Hal Jackson Dies At 96
Wed, 23 May 2012 22:42:13 GMT

Donald Dunn Dead: Booker T Bassist Dies At 70

Donald Dunn Dead: Booker T Bassist Dies At 70

TOKYO — Bass player and songwriter Donald "Duck" Dunn, a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame band Booker T. and the MGs and the Blues Brothers band, has died in Tokyo. He was 70.

Dunn was in Tokyo for a series of shows. News of his death was posted on the Facebook site of his friend and fellow musician Steve Cropper, who was on the same tour. Cropper said Dunn died in his sleep.

Read More...

Donald Dunn Dead: Booker T Bassist Dies At 70
The Huffington Post News Editors
Sun, 13 May 2012 11:25:12 GMT

Rest In Peace: Funk Musician Jimmy Castor Dead At 64

Rest In Peace: Funk Musician Jimmy Castor Dead At 64

Jimmy Castor, saxophonist and leader of the seminal funk/disco group Jimmy Castor Bunch, passed away today, according to Prefix Mag.

SEE ALSO:

Black Music Industry Executive Dies After Being Shot By Crazy Man

The legendary saxophonist passed away at 2:30 p.m. at the age of 64 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The causes of his death are currently unknown.

The funk musician got his start with debut 1972 song, “Troglodyte (Cave Man).” Till this day Castor’s music is sampled by dozens of hip-hop artists including Eric B. and Rakim, N.W.A., Kanye West and others.

His song “It’s Just Begun” also became a staple break of ’70s and ’80s b-boy scene, also appearing as the backing track for the Rock Steady Crew in the film “Flashdance“.

NewsOne sends its condolences to Castor’s family and friends.

SEE ALSO:

Should Slim Dunkin’s Death Shock Us?

Rest In Peace: Funk Musician Jimmy Castor Dead At 64
Ruth Manuel-Logan
Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:41:10 GMT

Al Sharpton’s Mother Dead At 87

Al Sharpton’s Mother Dead At 87

NEW YORK  — The 87-year-old mother of the Rev. Al Sharpton has died.

His spokeswoman says Ada Sharpton died early Thursday morning in Dothan, Ala., following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Rachel Noerdlinger says Sharpton will fly to Alabama to make arrangements for his mother’s funeral after attending a rally Thursday evening in Sanford, Fla., for Trayvon Martin.

Martin is a black teenager who was shot to death by a Hispanic neighborhood watch captain in Florida. His parents attended a march for their son in New York City on Wednesday.

Noerdlinger says Sharpton learned of his mother’s death while boarding the flight to Florida on Thursday morning. He heads the National Action Network, a civil rights organization based in New York City.

Al Sharpton’s Mother Dead At 87
Associated Press
Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:49:41 GMT

Civil Rights Activist Lanier W. Phillips Dead at 88

Civil Rights Activist Lanier W. Phillips Dead at 88

Lanier W. Phillips, a prominent civil rights activist who was so deathly afraid of white people that he wouldn’t look them in the eye until he was saved by a group of them in 1942, died Sunday at age 88 in a retirement home in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The great grandson of a Georgia slave, Phillips story is a fascinating one.  He was raised in the segregated south in the 1920′s and 30′s, where the lynching of Black men was a sport, but then again, they also resorted to burning them alive, beating them to death or just riddling them with bullets.  The white supremacists gang, the Ku Klux Klan, reigned supreme and used terrorist tactics to suppress Black people.  Blacks were disdainfully referred to as ‘n***ers,’ had limited rights and were segregated from Whites.  Blacks were separated from Whites at schools, in public places and on public transportation.  Blacks were denied access to parks, beaches, picnic areas, and from many hospitals. Politically, Blacks were powerless.  Segregation was supported by law enforcement and the legal system.

Blacks were less than second class citizens at the time that Phillips was growing up.  He belonged to a race of people who faced discrimination in housing, jobs, and who were even given curfews in some areas.  Phillips was raised to never look a White person in the face.  He was deathly afraid of them because he had witnessed their wrath against his people.  Since he had struggled with so much oppression in his life, his heart was filled with hate for those who were his oppressors.

In an effort to flee the confinements of his surroundings, Phillips made the decision to join the U.S. Navy in 1941 at the age of 18.  Even though the Navy was still segregated, he weighed his options and went with the naval branch where blacks were relegated to mess attendants.

On February 18, 1942, Phillips was aboard the U.S.S. Truxtun and a fierce storm caused it and a supply ship the U.S.S. Pullox to get shipwrecked off the southeast coast of the Canadian province Newfoundland in a tiny town called St. Lawrence.  A total of 100 men died in the devastation but Phillips was amongst the 46 sailors who survived.

Phillips’ body was washed ashore and was covered head to toe in black oil.  When he opened his eyes he saw a group of White people, who had assembled to help the survivors.  A White man with an accent spoke to him in a kind way and tried to help him by walking him over to a fire for warmth.  Phillips was taken aback that a White person had spoken to him so politely and offered to help him.  “I had never heard a kind word from a White man in my life, and I had hatred for White men,” he told the Washington Post two years ago.

A miner’s wife, Violet Pike, then offered to wipe his face to remove the thick oil that covered it.  Phillips was petrified that the woman, upon wiping his face, would see that he was in fact a Black men and the kindness would end abruptly.  Instead, Pike took Phillips to her home to care for him.  She even spoon fed him broth until he had recovered full circle.

The sailor’s perception of White people changed after his experience in Newfoundland.  He came to the realization that not all White people had hate in their hearts for him.  He was profoundly touched by the kindness of the White people in the town and never forgot their kindness over the years.  These caring White people had managed to melt away the hatred and fears he long harbored in his heart for them.

The life-changing event altered Phillips perception of Blacks, Whites and equality.  It fueled him to want to bring about change for his people, so he began his crusade to fight against oppression.  As a prominent civil rights figure, Phillips found himself marching side-by-side with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He also broke ground by becoming the Navy’s first Black sonar technician.  Phillips throughout the years wanted to repay the towns people’s kindness toward him, so he managed to donate enough monies so that a playground could be built in the town of 1,000 residents.

Phillips was also an eloquent lecturer who traveled the country giving speeches about his life and of the turning point.  In 2008, he was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Newfoundland for his lifelong dedication to civil rights.  On February 18 of this year, Phillips traveled back to St. Lawrence to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the disaster.

Civil Rights Activist Lanier W. Phillips Dead at 88
Ruth Manuel-Logan
Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:45:40 GMT

Whitney Houston Obituary Released

Whitney Houston Obituary Released

M. J. Edwards Funeral Home, the funeral home entrusted with the final arrangements of Whitney Houston, 48, and Memorial Keepsakes, have released an obituary honoring the life of our favorite “Jersey Girl.”

Services for Houston, who died Saturday, February 11, 2012, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA the night before the Grammy Awards, will be held at New Hope Baptist Church and streamed online. She sang at the church as a child. Her eulogy will be given by gospel singer Marvin Winans. Her god-mother Aretha Franklin will also pay tribute. Clive Davis and Kevin Costner will also speak at the funeral.

Whitney Houston Obituary Released
NewsOne Staff
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:02:43 GMT

Pioneering Harlem native Norma Merrick Sklarek dies

Pioneering Harlem native Norma Merrick Sklarek dies

Norma Merrick Sklarek, a Harlem native who became the country’s first African American female licensed architect, died Monday in southern California at age 85.

Pioneering Harlem native Norma Merrick Sklarek dies
NANCY DILLON
Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:01:04 GMT