I’m not going to pretend like I knew who Alori Joh was yesterday. I’m not going to pretend like I listened to her The Love Religion album from last November.

But I will tell you that I’m terribly saddened by the news that she passed away today. Without even knowing who she was, I’ve been an Alori Joh fan. Read the rest of this entry »

According to TMZ, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, 75, was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, California home. Early reports indicate he suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Before Bill Cosby and the Huxtables, Don Cornelius did much to bring the Black family together using television as the medium. Watching Soul Train on Saturday mornings was the one thing Black folks across generations could agree on for decades, tracing back to the show’s inception in 1971. But the show’s demographic wasn’t limited to one ethnicity, as many more people grew attracted to what ended up being an institution in not just Black music, but music as a whole.

With his brainchild, Cornelius provided a consistent platform for Black musicians to perform in front of a national television audience and helped give rise to many a career in a time when soul music didn’t own sure footing on radio. Aside from just the sounds and rhythms, style fashion, dance and more were all on parade each and every Saturday and the show led the way for future generations to be embraced by the music business, middle America and the world at large. In many ways, Cornelius helped officially usher Black culture into American pop culture.

I pray there’s a long, honorary Soul Train line already forming near the gates to welcome his arrival.

[TMZ]

In what will undoubtedly become bigger news in the sports world, legendary former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno has passed away at the age of 85 with family at his side, according to USA Today. Read the rest of this entry »

Soul singing legend Etta James passed away this morning at age 73, as confirmed by her manager Lupe De Leon. The incomparable artist, known to most for her remarkable voice and the song “At Last” suffered a recent, severe spell of sickness associated with complications from leukemia, a disease she was originally diagnosed with in 2010. According to CNN, James was accompanied by her husband and sons in her final moments.

[CNN]

Funnyman Patrice O’Neal quietly suffered a stroke last month in his New Jersey home last month and amidst his recent health issues, the 41-year-old comedian has passed away. Most recently, O’Neal was a regular on VH1 hour-long specials and Comedy Central’s famed roasts of various celebrities in between his regular stand-up routines. Read the rest of this entry »

Heavy D. received a sendoff befitting his “Mr. Big Stuff” nickname as rap luminaries and entertainers across the board gathered at Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, NY for a private funeral held in Hev’s honor and billed as a celebration of his life. The rapper, born Dwight Myers, died at age 44 last week in Los Angeles from what the family said were complications of pneumonia. Read the rest of this entry »

Hip-Hop/R&B hybrid pioneer and actor, Heavy D. died suddenly in Los Angeles this afternoon at the age of 44. Back when rappers were known just as much as their dance moves for rhymes, the man born Dwight Arrington Myers was the frontman for his group, Heavy D. & The Boyz, best known for their chart-topping single, “Now That We Found Love.” Read the rest of this entry »

Smokin’ Joe Frazier passed away last night after a battle with liver cancer at the age of 67. He was a hall of fame boxing champion most famous for his rivalry with Muhammad Ali culminating in a trilogy of classic fights. He had a 32-4-1 record, won a gold medal for the United States Olympic team and a 1990 charter inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Read the rest of this entry »

The most controversial owner in all of sports has passed away today. Read the rest of this entry »

The image above is from Apple’s site, confirming former leader Steve Jobs passed away today at age 56 after battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer for years. Read the rest of this entry »

Sugar Hill Records co-founder Sylvia Robinson died early Thursday morning at a New Jersey hospital. Read the rest of this entry »

Nick Ashford, one half of the songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, passed away Monday in a New York hospital after succumbing to throat cancer. The husband and wife duo were the pens behind many of R&B’s bests, having written hits for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan and, more recently, received co-writing credit on Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.” Read the rest of this entry »

“There’s just one other thing…”

Peter Falk, most famous for his role as detective Columbo, died Thursday evening in his home at the age of 83. The aging actor had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia according to court papers filed a few years ago.

My dad used to watch Columbo reruns like clockwork for a while during my adolescence. Every day when he got off work, he’d crack open a can of Vienna sausages along with a pack of saltines and then cut the TV on to this or Barnaby Jones. Change the channel? Please. Talk or disturb him? You better not. Incidentally, it was that continuous exposure and Columbo’s penchant for making sloppy attire seem okay which could very well be the reason I don’t iron my clothes today.

Book investigation biters like Columbo, word to Parish & Erick.

Gil Scott-Heron, one of the forefathers of spoken word, died Friday afternoon in New York at age 62. His publisher, Jamie Byng, tweeted news of the passing earlier. After battling a lifetime of ups and downs, Heron released I’m New Here last year, his first album in over 15 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s get the sad part out of the way: Macho Man died this morning after suffering a heart attack while driving, first reported by TMZ and confirmed by the Florida Highway Patrol. His truck veered into oncoming traffic and he died from wounds suffered during the car crash. Clown if you want, but I grew up on wrestlers like Macho Man and the news is damn tough to hear. Read the rest of this entry »