Wayne Pharr, former member of the Black Panther Party fought the Los Angeles Police in a historic gun battle in 1969, passed away on September 6, 2014 at age 64. After Pharr and his fellow Panthers defended themselves from the long violent attack by the newly formed LAPD SWAT unit. He became a political prisoner who was exonerated of attempted murder and all other serious offenses. Pharr eventually became a successful realtor in Southern California, a subject of the documentary, “41st and Central”, and most recently authored the well received autobiography, Nine Lives of A Black Panther: A Story of Survival.
Marion Barry was an active member of the civil rights movement and an icon of D.C. politics for more than 40 years. Despite his personal challenges, he remained beloved by D.C. residents because of his integrity and commitment to helping residents. He died November 23 at age 78.
Jimmy Ruffin was one of Motown Records’ most memorable voices. The balladeer died at a Las Vegas hospital November 17 at age 78.
Henry ‘Big Bank Hank’ Jackson was a founding member of the pioneering Sugarhill Gang founder which produced the first mainstream rap hit Rapper’s Delight in 1979. He died at age 57 from cancer.
Juanita Moore, the Oscar-nominated star of Imitation of Life died at home January 1 at the age of 99.
Comer Cottrell had an incredible impact black hair care. The entrepreneur brought the Jheri curl to the masses. He made millions with a cheap kit that made the glossy hairstyle, popularized by celebrities such as Michael Jackson, available to average Black Americans. He died Oct. 2 at age 82.
Geoffrey Holder - The man who pitched 7UP as the “uncola” and brought “The Wiz” to Broadway died in a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia October 5 at 84. Geoffrey Holder had an eclectic show business career, winning Tony Awards in 1975 for directing and designing the costumes for an all-black retelling of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Alice Coachman Davis – The first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, Alice Coachman Davis, died early Monday morning on July 14 in south Georgia at age 90. Davis won Olympic gold in the high jump at the 1948 games in London.
Meshach Taylor, who played a lovable ex-convict surrounded by boisterous Southern belles on the sitcom “Designing Women” and appeared in numerous other TV and film roles, died of cancer at age 67 June 28.
Soul singer Bobby Womack career spanned seven decades and included ’80s hit “If You Think You’re Lonely Now.” Womack began his career in the early 1960s as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos. He died June 27 at 70 years old.
Tony Gwynn, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest athletes in San Diego’s history, died June 16 at age 54 of oral cancer, a disease he attributed to years of chewing tobacco. Known as “Mr. Padre,” Gwynn spent his entire career in San Diego amassing a .338 career average with 3,141 hits and only 434 strikeouts over nearly 10,000 at bats. The lefty slugger was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Ruby Dee, an acclaimed actress and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film, died at age 91, on June 11 at home in New Rochelle on Wednesday night of “natural causes.” an Academy Award nominated actress (American Gangster) who was also active in the civil rights movement in the US, has died of natural causes. The formidable actress, who appeared in movies like A Raisin In the Sun and Do the Right Thing, had a career that spanned seven decades and brought her, in addition to the Oscar nomination, Emmy and Grammy Award wins. She was 91.
The Electric Company star Lee Chamberlin has died of metastatic cancer at the age of 76. The actress, who lived in Paris, passed away on May 25 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina while visiting her son Matthew.
Maya Angelou, a Renaissance woman and cultural pioneer, died May 28 at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, her son, Guy B. Johnson, said in a statement. The 86-year-old had been a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University since 1982. Maya Angelou, an author and poet considered one of the most important writers on her generation, has died. Perhaps best known for the novel “I Know Why the caged Bird Sings”, Dr. Angelou also appeared in the TV series “Roots” and won three Grammy awards for her spoken word albums. The recipient of an honorary National Book Award was 86.
DJ Rashad ( Rashad Harden), a house music and footwork pioneer who performed as DJ Rashad, was found dead this weekend of an apparent drug overdose. He was 34, April 26. Chicago Police spokeswoman said a friend found Harden’s body in an apartment on the city’s West Side.
Rubin ”Hurricane” Carter, the middleweight title contender, whose murder convictions became an international symbol of racial injustice and inspired a Bob Dylan song and a Hollywood film, died April 20 at age 76. Carter, who had suffered from prostate cancer, died in his sleep at his home in Toronto.
Amiri Baraka, a poet and playwright of pulsating rage, whose long illumination of the black experience in America was called incandescent in some quarters and incendiary in others, died in Newark, N.J. He died January 9 at age 79.
Frankie Knuckles, the legendary a record producer and DJ was known as the Godfather of House music. He died March 31 at age 59.
Photo via CBS
About the author /
Toure Muhammad
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