Smooth Hip-Hop Singer and Rapper Nate Dogg Dead At 41

Popular Long Beach, California Native Attended School with Snoop

US hip-hop star Nate Dogg, who worked with Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Eminem, has died at the age of 41. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, said the singer died as a result of complications from two strokes he suffered in recent years.

Snoop Dogg paid tribute to a "true legend of hip-hop and R&B".

Nate Dogg, real name Nathaniel Hale, sang on Warren G's hit Regulate as well as tracks by Dr Dre, 50 Cent and Ludacris. On Twitter, Snoop Dogg said Nate Dogg was "one of my best friends and a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at Poly High where we met".



Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Warren G began their careers in a rap trio in Long Beach called 213 in the early 1990s. Nate Dogg went on to feature on such hits as 50 Cent's 21 Questions, Eminem's Shake That and Area Codes by Ludacris.

Ludacris tweeted: "There is a certain void in hip-hop's heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together."

His manager Rod McGrew tells TMZ that Nate Dogg’s life came to an unexpected end despite the progress he had made. He was “95% recovered from the first stroke in 2007” when a second stroke struck in 2008, rendering him partially paralyzed and causing partial memory loss. Up until his death, he had “cognitively fully recovered,” meaning that he had become completely aware and got his memory back.

McGrew spoke on behalf of Nate Dogg’s family and thanked fans for the overwhelming support. “We appreciate the enormous outpouring of response from all over the world. We greatly appreciate that and thank everyone for their prayers and support,” read the statement. “We know that Nate will be hanging out with his good friends 2Pac and Biggie.”

Acclaimed Cosby Show Artist Varnette Honeywood, Dead at 59

By Moses X Ball

The world has just lost an incredible individual. Varnette P. Honeywood has died.

Well-known as an artist and illustrator, Varnette P. Honeywood is highly regarded for her use of color and light, patterns and textures. Her work—primarily paintings, collages, and prints—has received wide exposure in galleries and individual and group shows, as well as in books and on television.

A graduate of Spelman College and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Honeywood is famous for her upbeat depictions of black family life.

Carrying on the tradition of genre painting, a black artistic movement that followed in the wake of the Harlem Renaissance, her work portrays blacks in a range of settings, going about various activities, always stressing the colorful and creative aspects of African-American culture.

Her work tells stories and communicates ideas and thoughts. Much of Honeywood's art concerns the history of black Americans, their sufferings and triumphs, and celebrates the strength and leadership of black women.

Her work is probably most known for appearing on Cliff and Claire Huxtable's wall on The Cosby Show. I met Varnette back in the early 90's at the [Los Angeles] Crenshaw Plaza's yearly African American Fine Art Exhibition.

This was back when the exhibition featured some of the most well respected artists we have, from Jacob Lawrence, to Samella Lewis, Elizabeth Cattlett and John Biggers.

Varnette stuck out for me because she was so open about her process and full of so much advice for a young annoying kid who loved to draw pictures. I would go back every year (until leaving for college) and always check in with her, showing her new work and always learning something new from her practical wisdom.

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Beautiful '70s Era Actress Vonetta McGee Dead at 65

Vonetta McGee was no fan of the “blaxploitation” label that was attached to many of the films featuring black casts in the ’70s. The vivacious African American actress said the label was used “like racism, so you don’t have to think of the individual elements, just the whole. If you study propaganda, you understand how this works.”

McGee, a talent whose big-screen heyday during the blaxploitation era of the 1970s included leading roles in the horror film "Blacula" died at a hospital July 9 in Berkeley after experiencing cardiac arrest and being on life support for two days, said family spokeswoman Kelley Nayo.

Although McGee had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 17, Nayo said, her death was not related to the disease.

McGee was described as "one of the busiest and most beautiful black actresses" by Times movie reviewer Kevin Thomas in 1972, the year she appeared opposite Fred Williamson in the black action movie "Hammer," and had a starring role as the sexy femme fatale opposite Calvin Lockhart in the 1972 crime-drama "Melinda."

She went on to star with Richard Roundtree in "Shaft in Africa," (1973), and co-starred with actor and film producer Max Julian in "Thomasine & Bushrod" (1974). Julian and McGee actually dated for a number of years. In fact during that era, they were quite the Black Hollywood power couple.



McGee also appeared with Clint Eastwood in the 1975 action-thriller "The Eiger Sanction," prompting The Times' Thomas to write in his review: "Her parrying with Eastwood, verbally and otherwise, is enough to scorch the screen."

"I was pleased to see her get a role with Clint Eastwood," said Williamson, who knew McGee before they made "Hammer." "Not many black actors had that opportunity to be in a movie where color doesn't matter.

"Vonetta McGee was like a lot of actors and actresses at that time, like myself, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, Billy Dee Williams and Pam Grier, in that we had more talent than we were allowed to show because everything was perceived as a black project. Once they categorize you, your marketability becomes limited."

Although The Times reported that McGee "calls herself one of the lucky graduates of the black-film genre," she pointed out that there was a difference between someone like Diana Ross and other potentially marketable black actresses.

"She has had the luxury of a studio behind her," McGee said. "This is where a lot of us fell short. We all needed a certain amount of protection. But we were on our own."

Among McGee's other film credits are "The Lost Man," "Detroit 9000," "Brothers" (in which she played an activist based on Angela Davis), "Repo Man" and "To Sleep with Anger."



A ringer for current "it" actress Taraji P. Henson, McGee's career turned primarily to television in the 80's.

That included playing Sister Indigo on Robert Blake's short-lived 1985 dramatic series "Hell Town" and playing a social worker who takes a con man played by Jimmie Walker into her home in the syndicated 1987-88 sitcom "Bustin' Loose."

Often confused with Lonetta McKee, both of them having similar sounding first and last names and both being light-skinned black women, McGee also played a recurring role on "L.A. Law" and appeared in several episodes of "Cagney & Lacey" as the wife of detective Mark Petrie (played by Carl Lumbly).

With a penchant for dating the men she worked with, McGee and Lumbly were married in 1986 in real life and had a son, Brandon, in 1988.

Born Lawrence Vonetta McGee in San Francisco on Jan. 14, 1945, she was attending what is now San Francisco State when she got involved with a local acting group.

She launched her film career in 1968 in Italy, where she appeared in the spaghetti western "The Great Silence" and played the title role in the comedy "Faustina."

In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by her mother, Alma McGee; three brothers, Donald, Richard and Ronald McGee; and a sister, Alma McGee.

Source

Beloved NAACP Leader Benjamin Hooks Has Died - What A Man!!!

The great black civil rights icon Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks has died at the age of 85.

A prominent lawyer and ordained Baptist minister who joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Hooks also worked as a judge and served as the first African American commissioner on the FCC. His most lasting legacy, however, was shepherding the NAACP over a challenging 15-year period of political and social change for the entire nation.

An American hero, Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1925 and grew up in the segregated South.

According to CNN, he went on to served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he "found himself in the humiliating position of guarding Italian prisoners of war who were allowed to eat in restaurants that were off limits to him. The experience helped to deepen his resolve to do something about bigotry in the South," according to a biography published by the University of Memphis, where he was a professor in the political science department.

When no law school in the South would admit him, he used the GI bill to attend DePaul University in Chicago, where he earned a law degree in 1948. He later opened his own law practice in his hometown of Memphis.

"At that time you were insulted by law clerks, excluded from white bar associations and when I was in court, I was lucky to be called 'Ben,'" he once said in an interview with Jet magazine. "Usually it was just 'boy.'"

The NAACP "was suffering from declining membership and prestige when Hooks assumed his role as executive director," the University of Memphis biography said. But the organization would ultimately rebound, adding several hundred thousand new members under his leadership.

During Hooks' tenure, the civil rights organization worked with Major League Baseball on a program that expanded employment opportunities for African-Americans in baseball, including in positions as managers, coaches and in franchise executive offices, the NAACP said.

"Black Americans are not defeated," he told Ebony magazine soon after his induction. "The civil rights movement is not dead. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop agitating, they had better think again. If anyone thinks that we are going to stop litigating, they had better close the courts. If anyone thinks that we are not going to demonstrate and protest, they had better roll up the sidewalks."

Hooks also created an initiative that expanded employment opportunities for blacks in Major League Baseball and launched a program where corporations participated in economic development projects in black communities.

In 1965 prior to his stint with the NAACP, Hooks was appointed to a newly created seat on the Tennessee Criminal Court, making him the first black judge since Reconstruction in a state trial court anywhere in the South.

President Richard Nixon nominated Hooks to the Federal Communications Commission in 1972. He was its first black commissioner, and his ability to articulately address the lack of minority jobs and ownership in media persuaded the commission to propose a new rule requiring TV and radio stations to be offered publicly before they could be sold. Minority employment in broadcasting grew from 3 percent to 15 percent during his tenure.

Current FCC Chairman Julius Genachowdki remarked: "The nation lost a great leader today in the passing of civil rights champion and former FCC Commissioner Benjamin L. Hooks. His historic appointment as the first African-American commissioner forever changed the FCC, reminding us of our mission to promote the interests of all Americans.

"During his five-year tenure at the FCC in the early 1970s, Mr. Hooks worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for minorities and the poor, communities that had long been without a strong voice at the agency or in the media landscape. He was a fierce advocate for minority broadcast ownership and increasing minority employment in the broadcast industry."

In 1977, Hooks left the FCC to helm the NAACP. It was there that he held court on a national and international stage. As history has demonstrated, he was clearly the right man for the job.

After he retired in 1992, his work did not stop there. Just last year, Hooks urged the FCC to remember that broadband access and adoption are essential to full civic participation in our society, reminding us all that there is still more that the FCC can do to realize a communications landscape which truly represents America's rich, vibrant diversity.



"In honor of Mr. Hooks' lifelong commitment to advancing the participation and rights of minorities and the poor, in 2002, the FCC renamed our Blacks in Government Chapter the FCC-Benjamin Hooks Chapter."

Tyrone Brown, president of Media Access Project and also a former FCC commissioner, said of Hooks: "Ben Hooks was a dedicated public servant and a true gentleman. His commitment to full participation by minority Americans in all aspects of radio, TV, and telecommunications - as technicians and programmers, as talent, editors and owners - set the foundation for a discussion that continues to this day. He showed me, his successor at the FCC, how civil debate can win majorities where table pounding might not."

Hooks later was chairman of the board of directors of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and helped create The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis.

In his last keynote speech at the 1992 NAACP national convention, Hooks urged members who had found financial success to never forget those less fortunate.

"Remember," he said, "that down in the valley where crime abounds and dope proliferates ... where babies are having babies, our brothers and sisters are crying to us, 'Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?'"

In recognizing his passionate dedication to equality and justice, President George W. Bush awarded Hooks the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in November 2007.

"As a civil rights activist, public servant and minister of the gospel, Dr. Hooks has extended the hand of fellowship throughout his years," Bush said. "It was not an always thing -- easy thing to do. But it was always the right thing to do."

Job well done Dr. Hooks. Rest in peace!

Source

Breaking News: Writer, Producer and Undercover Black Man Blogger David Mills Dead At 48

By Kevin Ross, CEO of 3BAAS Media Group

Acclaimed writer and fellow blogger David Mills has died of a brain aneurysm.

WOW! This is devastating.

I absolutely loved reading his blog Undercover Black Man over the last few years. After getting to know David through exchanging emails, I actually interviewed the scribe on my Blogtalkradio show last August. We even laughed how Deadline's Nikki Finke scooped everyone on the news about his upcoming HBO series. He was such a nice guy and creative genius!

On Monday March 29, David posted a clip of his new cable show "Treme", excitedly claiming that it would be airing in two weeks. He would be dead the following day.

"He was very quiet and introverted, but spoke volumes when he wrote," New Orleans actor Wendell Pierce, who starred in The Wire and will also appear in Treme, said of Mills.

"He challenged us as actors and he challenged Americans when it came to matters of race. He was one of the more talented people working in TV. He made it much more than just empty entertainment."

Pierce said Mills collapsed suddenly on set Tuesday during a conversation with colleagues. The cast and crew held a memorial for Mills on the set Wednesday morning, he added. Ironically, when I actually interviewed David in May 2009, he talked about the need to quit smoking, lose weight, and get healthy for the rigors of writing and producing the show.

“The Wire”,” NYPD Blue”, "Picket Fences", “Homicide” and “ER” all have this man's imprimatur on them. One of a small number of working African American writers in Hollywood, Mills also created the NBC 2003 series “Kingpin,” about a Mexican drug cartel.

Most notably, David co-wrote and co-produced “The Corner,” adapted from David Simon’s book about drug abuse and poverty in Baltimore, which won three Emmys.



Before writing for television, David Mills worked as a journalist and gained national attention for a 1992 interview with the hip-hop performer Sister Souljah in The Washington Post, in which she said, “If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?”

When the Rainbow Coalition later invited Sister Souljah to speak at its convention, the group was criticized by Gov. Bill Clinton, then a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, who cited Mills’s interview.

His latest project "Treme" is about jazz, culture and the folks trying to rebuild their lives in a post-Katrina New Orleans. The series is named after the Creole neighborhood known for its rich, irrepressible musical history. Mills was not only a writer on the project, but co-executive producer as well.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, David passed away in New Orleans where the seried was filmed. Funeral arrangements are still pending.

HBO said Wednesday in a statement:

HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague David Mills. He was a gracious and humble man, and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his brilliant work will live on.

In addition to his passion for writing, David was a music aficionado -- particularly when it came to anything having to do with George Clinton, Parliament and The Funkadelics. His blog, Undercover Black Man allowed the 48-year-old to indulge himself with not only lesser known artists, but also issues concerning what it meant to be black, the absurdity of racism, and injustice in the US and abroad.

David's observations were blunt, biting, clever, and always thought provoking.

You can listen to my Blogtalkradio interview with David Mills here and hear him discuss why he fought so hard to get other black writers into the room.

You can also check out the Treme trailer here.

Per Broadcasting and Cable, Mills wrote two of Treme's episodes: numbers three and seven (with New Orleans musician/writer Davis Rogan). Though Mills was new to New Orleans when production began, he was very quickly energized by the city's rich musical scene.

"Treme" premieres April 11 on HBO.

3BAAS Media Group would like to extend our condolences to the Mills family. Rest in peace David. Job well done my friend!

Source

Black R&B Crooner Teddy Pendergrass Dead at 59

A Legend Falls

3BAAS Media Group is so sad to report that the incomparable 70's balladeer Teddy Pendergrass passed away today from complications following surgery for colon cancer.

With hits such as "Turn Off The Light", "Come Go With Me", "Love TKO" and "You Got What I Need", Pendergrass was definitely a legend of music in his own right.

He blessed us with his soulful voice, there will only be duplicates never another original like Mr. Teddy Pendergrass.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."

He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.

Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. The smooth velvet sounds that came out his mouth instantly won over black audiences.

In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released it first single, "I Miss You," in 1972 and then released "If You Don't Know Me by Now," which was nominated for a Grammy Award.



Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. He came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.

His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.

Source

Folks Who Get It: Percy Sutton Epitomized What The Harlem Renaissance Was All About

Job Well Done Sir - Rest In Peace!

Percy E. Sutton stood proudly at the center of the struggle for equal rights. He was arrested as a freedom rider; represented Malcolm X as young lawyer; rescued the fabled Apollo Theater in Harlem; and became a millionaire tycoon in the communications business to give public voice to African Americans.

Displaying fierce intelligence and exquisite polish in becoming one of the nation’s most prominent black political and business leaders, the New York icon died on December 26. He was 89.

Percy Sutton was an eminent politician in New York City, rising from the Democratic clubhouses of Harlem to become the longest serving Manhattan borough president and, for more than a decade, the highest black official in the city. In 1977, he was the first seriously regarded black candidate for mayor.

His supporters saw his loss in that mayoral race as a stinging rebuff to his campaign’s strenuous efforts to build support among whites. But David N. Dinkins, who was elected the first black mayor in 1989, called Mr. Sutton’s failed bid indispensable to his own success.

“I stand on the shoulders of Percy Ellis Sutton,” Mr. Dinkins said in an interview.

Mr. Sutton’s business empire included, over the years, radio stations, cable television systems and national television programs. Another business invested in Africa. Still another sold interactive technology to radio stations.

Mr. Sutton had an immaculately groomed beard and mustache; tailored clothing; and a sonorous, slightly Southern voice that prompted the nickname “wizard of ooze.” Associates called him “the chairman,” and he liked it.

Percy Ellis Sutton, the last child in a family of 15 children, was born on Nov. 24, 1920, in San Antonio, Tex. His father, Samuel Johnson Sutton, was born into slavery and became principal of a black high school. His mother, Lillian, was a teacher.

The 12 children who survived to be adults went to college, with the older ones giving financial and moral support to the younger.

S. J. Sutton, an early civil rights activist who did not use his first name for fear it would be shortened to Sambo, farmed, sold real estate and owned a mattress factory, funeral home and skating rink — in addition to being a full-time principal.

Percy milked the cows, then rode around San Antonio with his father in the same Studebaker used for funerals, distributing milk to the poor. He liked to attach strings to cans to pretend to be a radio broadcaster. He was an Eagle Scout.

At 12, he stowed away on a passenger train to Manhattan where he slept under a sign on 155th Street. Far from being angry, his family regarded him as an adventurer, he said.

His family was committed to civil rights, and he bristled at prejudice. At 13, while passing out N.A.A.C.P. leaflets in an all-white neighborhood, he was beaten by a policeman.

He took up stunt-flying on the barnstorming circuit, but gave it up after a friend crashed. He attended three traditionally black colleges without earning a degree. Their present names are Prairie View A & M University in Texas, Tuskegee University in Alabama and Hampton University in Virginia.

During World War II, he served with the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed all-black unit in the Army Air Forces, as an intelligence officer. He won combat stars in the Italian and Mediterranean theaters.

He entered Columbia Law School on the G.I. Bill on the basis of his solid grades at the colleges he attended. He transferred to Brooklyn Law School so he could work days. He worked at the post office from 4 p.m. until midnight, then as a subway train conductor until 8:30 a.m. He then reported to law school at 9:30. He kept this schedule for three years and became a lawyer.

This punishing pace so annoyed his wife, the former Leatrice O’Farrell, that she divorced him in 1950 — only to remarry him in 1952. In between, he married and divorced Eileen Clark.

Mr. Sutton’s survivors include his wife, Leatrice Sutton; a son from their marriage, Pierre; and a daughter from his second marriage, Cheryl Lynn Sutton.After graduating from law school, Mr. Sutton made what he termed “a major miscalculation.” He enlisted in the Air Force because he mistakenly thought he had flunked the bar exam.

He returned to Harlem in 1953 and opened a law practice. The initial going was tough: he had to work at supplemental jobs that included scrubbing floors.

The story continues...

The Life of Michael Jackson on Blogtalkradio's Kevin Ross Show

(Click the photo of Michael Jackson to hear the chilling 911 Emergency Call)

Kevin Ross of 3BAAS Media Group paid tribute today to Michael Jackson on his eponymous Internet radio show that featured Lee Bailey of EUR Web and Blogtalkradio CEO Alan Levy. In between the legendary singer's memorable tunes, guests turned nostalgic when talking about The King of Pop's legacy and the future of music overall.

Reggie Calloway, formerly of the group Midnight Star, was one of several callers who paid tribute to the controversial superstar know as well for his sometimes wacky behavior as for a music career spanning five decades and 19 Grammys.

Twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Jackson is believed to have sold close to half a billion records with such chart-topping hits such as Beat It, Billie Jean, Black or White, and of course Thriller. On his radio show, Ross erred in stating the Jackson's record sales were at 1 billion.

Speculation remains as to whether former wife and mother to two of the children Debbie Rowe will raised Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 11, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., 12, after giving up all custody rights in exchange for money.

As to the MJ's youngest, 6 year-old Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. (affectionately referred to as "Blanket"), no word on that child's mother or the role she may want to play in the child's life at this point.

In the meantime, the autopsy on Michael Jackson's body could take up to eight weeks before conclusive results are announced. In the meantime, speculation grows over the circumstances surrounding the death of the Black man who altered his appearance to the point of being unrecognizable.

Police are looking for Jackson's doctor who administered a dose of the drug Demoral that may have caused Jackson to go into cardiac arrest.

Stay tuned folks, this is only the beginning of the circus that without question is about to unleash.

Folk Singer Odetta Dies At 77; A National Treasure Silenced

Odetta, the classically trained folk, blues and gospel singer who used her powerfully rich and dusky voice to champion African American music and civil rights issues for more than half a century starting in the folk revival of the 1950s, has died. She was 77.

With a repertoire that included 19th century slave songs and spirituals as well as the topical ballads of such 20th century folk icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, Odetta became one of the most beloved figures in folk music.

She was said to have influenced the emergence of artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin and Tracy Chapman.


Odetta, who used just her given name professionally, had trained as a classical vocalist as a child and later discovered folk music, which she said “really touched where I live.” She became an inspiration to other folk singers and eventually received a National Medal of Arts and a Living Legend Award.

She was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City for a checkup in mid-November but went into kidney failure. She died there Tuesday of heart disease, her manager, Doug Yeager, told the Associated Press.

"The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta," Dylan once said. "From Odetta, I went to Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, little by little uncovering more as I went along."

Her affinity for traditional African American folk songs was a hallmark of her long career, along with a voice that could easily sweep from dark, husky low notes to delicate yet goose bump-inducing high register tones.

"The first time I heard Odetta sing," Seeger once said, "she sang Leadbelly's ‘Take This Hammer’ and I went and told her how I wish Leadbelly was still alive so he could have heard her."


She was born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Ala., on Dec. 31, 1930. Her father died when she was young and she moved to Los Angeles at age 6 with her mother, sister and stepfather. She took the surname of her stepfather Zadock Felious, but throughout her career she used just her given name.

And although Los Angeles wasn't as overtly racist as the Deep South, she suffered some of the same indignities that came with being black.

"We lived within walking distance of Marshall High School," Odetta told The Times some years ago, "but they didn't let colored people go there, so we had to get on the bus and go to Belmont High School.
Randy Lewis and Mike Boehm have more of this article at LATIMES.COM
This is a great link to a personal look at Odetta's Life and Career

Famed African American Record Exec Jheryl Busby Dead at 59

Historic Day That Busby Won't Be Able To Enjoy

Another music industry executive has passed away. Former President & CEO of Motown Records, Mr. Jheryl Busby, died this morning, November 4.

He was 59. Circumstances around Mr. Busby's death are unknown.

He began his career as an inventory clerk at Mattel Toys, working his way up to new-toy coordinator. Later Busby joined the legendary Memphis-based Stax Records. Eventually, Busby became head of West Coast promotion and marketing for the label.

During the early 1980s, he did promotional work for several record companies, including Casablanca, CBS, A&M, and Atlantic. Employed by MCA Records as vice-president of the black music division in 1984, Busby enjoyed phenomenal success. His promotion of such established singers as Patti LaBelle and up-and-coming acts like New Edition catapulted record sales to $50 million in the mid-1980s. When he ended his career at MCA in the late 1980s--as president of the black music division--his sector was number one in the industry in black album sales.

Mr. Busby segued to Motown Records as the company's President & CEO in 1988, where he oversaw a surge of youthful talent such as Another Bad Creation, Boyz II Men, and Johnny Gill. He was also instrumental in keeping many of the label's legendary artists such as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross in the limelight with hit projects.

Mr. Busby was appointed head of the urban division at DreamWorks Records in 1998. He left that post in 2001. In 2004, he was named president of Def Soul Classics, a division of Def Jam Records. He would bring his rich expertise as a consultant to companies such as Hidden Beach Recordings, and a venture with producer Mike City, called Umbrella Recordings--releasing the last Carl Thomas album in 2007 and Patti LaBelle's first gospel album, "The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle."

Beyond music, Busby -- along with Janet Jackson and Magic Johnson -- was a major shareholder in the nation's first African-American-owned national bank, Founders National Bank of Los Angeles.

Urban Network.

Folks Who Get It: Phenomenal African American Sculptress Tina Allen Dead at 58

Funny, Energetic Artist Captured Black Figures In Bronze

By Our Weekly writer Shirley Hawkins

Internationally renowned sculptor and painter, Tina Allen, who has won commissions to sculpt the likenesses of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela, passed away this week due to complications of pneumonia after a massive heart attack.

Born in 1949 in Hemptead, N. Y., Allen began painting at the age of five and was discovered at the age of 10 by William Zorach, who was considered one of the greatest living sculptors in the world. Allen was the daughter of Gordon “Specs” Powell, a studio percussionist for CBS Records.

Allen, who was considered a social activist as well as an artist, created her first three-dimensional work when she sculpted a bust of Aristotle in high school. She soon began winning competitions and awards, but Allen revealed that though she had originally intended to paint, “sculpture was more natural for me than painting.”

In 1986, she entered a competition in Boston for a commission to create a memorial statue of African American labor activist A. Philip Randolph, who founded a union for train porters in 1925. To her surprise and delight, Allen won the $85,000 commission and her career began in earnest.

In 1988, Allen moved to Los Angeles where she produced many sculptures and paintings that reflected the Harlem Renaissance. She also focused on the black male, which is shown in her creations entitled “Proud Father and Son” and “The Banjo Lesson.” Allen has promoted the contributions of African American women through her work entitled “Ethiopia.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, a long time friend of Allen, reflected, “I think all of us know that Tina was an exceptionally talented woman as a sculptress. Tina always did excellent work.”

Burke recalls that Allen also possessed a great sense of humor. “She was the funniest woman I ever knew,” said Burke. “She would keep you in stitches for hours. She had an ability to lift you up and make you smile and to bring you out of whatever depths you’re in.”

Through her artwork, Allen wanted to leave a legacy for African American children. “Our children must be able to say greatness comes out of people who look like me,” she once said.

Locally, Allen had been commissioned to create sculptures of community activists Lillian Mobley and Celes King Jr. She was also commissioned to create sculptings of Sammy Davis Jr., Alex Haley, Dr. Ralph Bunch, Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Charles Drew, George Washington Carver, Sojourner Truth, Betty Shabazz, and Tupac Shakur.

As her acclaim grew, Allen’s prodigious talent kept her traveling extensively to such far away places as Africa, Europe, and Asia, South. LA Times Has Details & Photos.

Good job Tina. Congratulations, you've been promoted. Source

Snoopy Creater Dead at 91: Who Knew He Was Mexican!

Animator Gave Life to "Peanuts" Characters

Bill Melendez, the only person Charles Schulz authorized to animate his characters, has died of natural causes.

Melendez's nearly seven decades as a professional animator began in 1938 when he was hired by Walt Disney Studios. He went on to animate TV specials such as "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and was the voice of Snoopy, who never spoke intelligible words but issued expressive howls, sighs and sobs.

Melendez was born in 1916 in Hermosillo in the Mexican state of Sonora. Having met "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz in 1959 while creating Ford Motor Co. TV commercials featuring Peanuts characters, Melendez became the only person Schulz authorized to animate his characters.

He founded his own production company in 1964 and went on to produce, direct or animate some 70 "Peanuts" TV specials, four movies and hundreds of commercials.

The first special was 1965's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The show reportedly worried CBS because it broke so much new ground for a cartoon: It lacked a laugh track, used real children as voice actors, had a jazz score and included a scene in which Linus recited lines from the New Testament.

A six-time Emmy awardee, he also was co-nominee for an Academy Award in 1971 for the music for "A Boy Named Charlie Brown."

Melendez is survived by his wife Helen; sons Steven Melendez and (Ret.) Navy Rear Adm. Rodrigo Melendez, six grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. He was 91-years-old.

Source

FOLKS WHO GET IT: DON LAFONTAINE, AKA "MR. VOICE", DEAD AT 68

A Down Guy With A Terrific Black Wife And Beautiful Children Leaves Us

The film world has lost an amazing, unbelievable talent. Everyone reading this post has heard him speak, but many of you probably don’t know his name.

Don LaFontaine was and will forever be a voiceover legend, whose voice has graced over 5,000 movie trailers and nearly 350,000 commercials!

I met Don after he married my friend Nita Whitaker, an incredibly talented African American sistah who actually sing at my wedding.

Don had been admitted to Cedar Sinai hospital on August 22, with a blood clot lodged in his lung. Sadly, he died of complications relating to pneumothorax. He was 68 years old and leaves behind Nita and teen daughters Skye and Elyse and another child from a previous marriage.


He has generally been thought of as the person who coined the phrase “In a world…” He has helped to stoke excitement for such varied shows and films as Terminator 2, Cast Away, 24 and Arrested Development among countless others. Most recently, he has been seen in Geico commercials, in which he parodies the urgency of trailer voiceovers.

Although a number of years have gone by, I will always remember Don as someone who was sarcastically witty and a incredible sense of humor. Our prayers go out to the family, particularly Nita during what will obviously be a very challenging period:



Don, you will truly be missed. Congratulations, you've been promoted.

via ETOnline

90's NBA Baller Kevin Duckworth Dies at 44

The NBA Had Some Greats, He Was One Of Them!

Kevin Duckworth, a two-time All-Star who was the starting center on the Portland Trail Blazer teams that made it to the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals, has died of unknown causes.

The seven-foot center played in the NBA from 1986-1997. Most of those years he was in Portland, although at the end of his career he played for the Bullets, Bucks, and Clippers.

Duckworth was reportedly at the Oregon coast for an event to promote the Blazers when he died. Duckworth was 44.


The African American baller remained a figure beloved by Blazer fans. After his playing days, the Illinois native settled permanently in the Portland area and continued to be a major and unmistakable presence -- a man who battled weight issues throughout his playing days, he was literally larger than ever in retirement.

Despite his size, Duckworth was not at all intimidating off the court, exuding smiling harmlessness at Blazer games and other team-centric public events.

We mourn the loss and extend condolences to the family.

Hollywood Mourns Bernie Mac, Children of Isaac Hayes Discuss Their Father on Blogtalkradio

As the family of Oscar-winning singer/songwriter Isaac Hayes prepare to officially say goodbye to the man affectionately known as "Black Moses", 1000's gathered at the House of Hope in Chicago for Bernie Mac's memorial service. Details after the jump.

Bernie Mac's Recent Jet Cover

Here's Isaac With His New Wife and Youngest Child

Recently, Isaac Hayes III and Heather Hayes came on The Kevin Ross Show to share memories and mourn the loss of their father. Services for Isaac Hayes are scheduled tomorrow in Memphis.

Bernie’s fellow King of Comedy and very good friend Steve Harvey arrived with his wife Marjorie.

Bernie's TV family Dee Dee Davis, Camille Winbush, Jeremy Suarez and Kellita Smith came as a group.

Some fans slept outside overnight in hopes of securing a seat inside the House of Hope church on the city's South Side, the Chicago Tribune reports.

In an emotional service, photos from the comedian's career were shown on projectors and the White Sox organization presented Mac's widow Rhonda with a No. 1 jersey bearing his name, the paper reports.

Comedian George Wallace

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Chris Rock

King of Comedy's Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey

Samuel L. Jackson and wife Latoya

Fly Jock Tom Joyner and Don Cheadle

During the service, Mayor Richard Daley remembered Mac as someone with "a heart and passion." Daley, who met with Mac a few weeks ago, added: "He knew the street, he knew the people, and that's why he was a king of comedy. He wanted to do something personally to get children away from the life of violence. . . . He never lost his soul in Chicago."

Mac, who suffered from the autoimmune disease sarcoidosis, passed away last Saturday from complications relating to pneumonia.

Of their final exchange a day before his death, Rhonda told PEOPLE: "I said, 'Hey Bernard. How are you?' and I kissed his forehead. He shrugged his shoulders, like 'I'm tired' and I said, 'I know you're tired.' Later on that night, it took a turn for the worse."

Rest In Peace Bernie Mac, And Keep Heaven Smiling

SHAFT'S ISAAC HAYES DEAD AT 65!!!

First Bernie Mac, Now the Black Community Loses Another Icon

Isaac Hayes, the pioneering singer, songwriter and musician whose relentless "Theme From Shaft" won Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday in Memphis, according to Shelby County Sheriff's officials. The soulful cat that took the whole chain-wearing thing to another level was 65-years old.

We here at 3BAAS Media Group are devastated, particularly since we were working with Mr. Hayes record lapel, Concord Stax records, to pay tribute to him during the 5th Quarter Concert at the Farmers Angel City Classic next month here in Los Angeles. We are doing all the public relations and marketing for the event, which clearly now will now likely have even more high-profile artists coming out to honor this man and the incredible body of music he has left behind for all of us to share.

In the early 1970s, Hayes laid the groundwork for disco, for what became known as urban-contemporary music and for romantic crooners like Barry White. And he was rapping before there was rap.

His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."

The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.

"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.

"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."

Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree. "That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.


At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.

"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."

Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."

A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.

He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man."

All this led to his recording contract.

In 1972, he won another Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced. It was also during this period where Hayes had a breakout performance at Wattstax, a concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to cool tensions after the Watts Riots.

Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner" besides "Shaft." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996. Additionally, he was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and had radio shows in New York City (1996 to 2002) and then in Memphis.

He was in several movies, including "It Could Happen to You" with Nicolas Cage, "Ninth Street" with Martin Sheen, "Reindeer Games" starring Ben Affleck and the blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."

In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'whack' category like everybody else in town — and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."

But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion. "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," he said.

Co-creator creators Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.

Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tenn., about 40 miles north of Memphis. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died and his father took off when he was 1 1/2. The family moved to Memphis when he was 6.

Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole's "Looking Back."

He held down various low-paying jobs, including shining shoes on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis. He also played gigs in rural Southern juke joints where at times he had to hit the floor because someone began shooting.

A family member found Hayes unresponsive near a treadmill and he was pronounced dead about an hour later at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, according to the sheriff's office. The cause of death was not immediately known.

A new husband and father to a 2-year-old, 11 older children, and grandfather to 14, this giant (in more ways than one) will definitely be missed. (AP)

Developing...

Bernie Mac Dead at 50!

Sad news to report. Bernie Mac died this morning from complications due to pneumonia. The hilarious black comic turned film and television superstar will be missed by throngs of fans.

Mac had been hospitalized for about a week at Northwestern Hospital, according to his spokeswoman. A few years ago, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.

The comic born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough could cut an imposing figure. He stood 6-foot-3, was built like a fullback and carried himself with a bouncer's reticence. But perhaps the strongest weapon in the Chicago comedian's arsenal was that voice, that amalgam of thought and a delivery that could rise like a tidal wave, outpace a Gatling gun and remained, to his last days, loud and unapologetic.

He wasn't scared, he told us time and again, to tell anyone what he thought, to say what others were afraid to say. That fearlessness wasn't always welcome, considering Mac didn't get his big break until his 30s. But when he did, the comic skyrocketed to success in stand-up, television and the big screen.

Bernie Mac shared screen time with some of Hollywood's larger-than-life leading men, co-starring with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon in the "Ocean's 11" remake and subsequent sequels.

Most recently, Mac garnered attention for making unsavory comments at a Barack Obama benefit that the presumptive Democratic candidate had to distance himself from.

Growing up on Chicago's South Side a hard-core White Sox fan, Mac discovered early on that he wanted to make a go at being a comedian.




Before his 10th birthday, Mac was performing comedy standup, honing his skills on CTA trains and parks before graduating to well-known haunts like the Regal Theater and the Cotton Club. He came to a realization during those first years as a struggling comic: If he could kill in front of a black crowd, he could kill in any crowd.

"Black audiences are hard," he told the New York Times in 2002. "You got to come with a little extra to satisfy them."

He also learned that comedy isn't a lucrative business when you are starting out. During those lean years in the '80s, Mac drove a Wonder Bread delivery truck to pay the bills.

Life changed dramatically for Mac when he was 32. He won the Miller Lite comedy search that year and that performance took him to the standup stage, which ultimately led to regular performances on popular shows like HBO's "Def Comedy Jam."

In a few short years, he was able to put a stamp on this tell-it-like-it-is brand of comedy that audiences had come to know him for. He was a hit on the stage, delivering sordid tales of his early life growing up on Chicago's South Side.

His work hit home to the African American audience -- his aggressive, brash comedy had a down home feel to it, tackling everything from family life to black romantic relationships -- yet Mac was able to cross it over, connecting with a majority entertainment scene.

"When I started in comedy in the clubs in 1977, blacks couldn't do certain clubs -- not because they were segregated. They just didn't want to put the [black comics] out there. In Los Angeles, the clubs would have a black night. People would say, 'Why don't you come by and do something?' I would say, 'I'm a comedian -- don't put a title on me.' Don't limit yourself. How you start is how you finish," he told the Tribune in 2007. "If you let people put tags on you, you'll never be able to remove them. You've got to make people respect you. Respect is bigger than dollars and cents."

Mac got his respect and he gained national attention after his set on HBO's popular late-night series Def Comedy Jam in 1992. Decked out in a pair of jeans with his face illustrated, graffiti-style, on the right pants leg, Mac expounded on one taboo subject after another, from the benefits of snitching to his prowess in the bedroom.

"I ain't scared of you [expletive]!" became his signature tagline.

Many took note of the blue comic's performance, which later led to a bit part in 1992's "Mo' Money," and later an HBO Special, "Midnight Mac."

In 1995, Mac earned a spot in the cult-classic "Friday," and the film helped Mac break out. His portrayal of Pastor Clever was one of the film's highlights, however small it was. He followed it up with bit roles in other films, including "Booty Call," and "Def Jam's: How to Be a Player."

But he wanted more.

Mac sowed the seeds for his success on a cloudy day in North Carolina while taping the 2000 Spike Lee concert film, "The Original Kings of Comedy." There, on a rain-soaked basketball court, buttressed by co-stars Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey, Mac issued a challenge to Hollywood:

"Do I have a television show? Nah," Mac told the cameras. "Why? 'Cause you scared of me, Scared I'm a say something. You [expletive] right. Think I won't say something?!"

A year later, Mac got his chance. "The Bernie Mac Show" debuted on Fox in November 2001, drawing critical acclaim, numerous awards, including two Emmy nominations for Mac and, most important, high ratings. Its premiere episode drew 11.4 million viewers. The second episode, which immediately followed the first, drew 12.4 million.

For the next four years, Mac spoke to the American public--via a break in the fourth wall a la Dobie Gillis--with all the befuddlement of a 40-something taskmaster father lost in a sea of talk therapy and "timeouts." "Now, America," Mac would often begin before going into a rant about undisciplined children, cuddling parents or, one of his favorite topics, the differences between black and white people.

But in 2005, the show went off the air. Several reasons contributed to cancellation: The show's ratings had dropped, Mac was getting more lucrative offers from the movie studios. Before the 2000 concert film, Mac's biggest credit was a recurring role on "Moesha."

But Mac's health was also a factor. In 2004, he halted production on the show while recovering from exhaustion. A year later, he disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.

In spite of that, his star had risen a great deal. In addition to the highly popular "Oceans" films, he co-starred with Ashton Kutcher in a reverse remake of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in 2005.

Last spring, Mac said that he was hanging up his standup career, and instead would focus more on movies. In 2007, he co-starred in "Ocean's Thirteen," "Pride" and had a role in the blockbuster "Transformers."

Scheduled for release is "Soul Men," with Samuel L. Jackson, which will be released this year, and "Old Dogs," with Robin Williams, which is due next year.

Mac is survived by his wife Rhonda McCullough, their daughter, Je'Niece, a son-in-law and a granddaughter, Jasmine.

Source

The Golden Girls Estelle Getty Dead at 84

Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica. Under the hood, our Beyonce/Estelle workout remix video.



"She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."

"The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.

Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and Rue McClanahan in "Mama's Family."

The last character to be cast was Getty's Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character. "Our mother-daughter relationship was one of the greatest comic duos ever, and I will miss her," Arthur said in a statement.

For more, visit the Associated Press.