In Memoriam

By Darlene Donloe

Many noteworthy people closed their eyes for the last time in 2023. They were writers, actors, directors, musicians, publicists, entertainment executives, activists, community leaders, and politicians.  All were influential in their own way. And, before leaving the planet, they all made their mark and touched the lives of so many. This column remembers their legacies and pays tribute to those who passed this way. Respect!

JANUARY

Jan. 1 – Frederick “Freddie” Eugene White, drummer with Earth, Wind, and Fire Original 9.  He was 67.

Gangsta Boo

Jan. 1 - Gangsta Boo, female rapper (Where Dem Dollas At). She was 43.

Jan. 5 - Gordy Harmon, founding member of the R&B group - The Whispers. He was 79.

Jan. 11 – Charles White, USC running back and 1979 Heisman Trophy winner. He was 64.

Jan. 14 - Keith Beaton, co-founder of Blue Magic. He was 72.

Jan. 15 – C.J. Harris, ‘American Idol’ alum. He was 31. 

Jan. 17 – Steve Buckley, music industry exec.

Jan. 27 – Gregory Allen Howard, screenwriter on ‘Remember The Titans.’  He was 70.

Jan. 28 – Barret Strong, Motown songwriter. He was 81.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 1 - Stanley Wilson Jr., former Detroit Lion. He was 40.

Feb. 20 - Chuck Jackson, ‘Any Day Now’ soul singer. He was 85. 

MARCH

Wayne Shorter

March 2 – Wayne Shorter, jazz great. He was 89.

March 5 – Bobby Caldwell, soul singer. He was 71.

Lance Reddick

March 17 – Lance Reddick, actor in The Wire, John Wick. He was 60.

March 21 - Willis Reed, Knicks Champ and NBA Champion. He was 80.

APRIL

April 16 - Ahmad Jamal, legendary jazz pianist. He was 92.

April 17 - Ivan Mamao Conti, co-founder of the ground-breaking Brazilian Funk-Jazz Fusion trio, Azymuth. He was 76.

April 19 – Otis Redding III, musician and son of soul legend. He was 59.

Harry Belafonte

April 25 – Harry Belafonte, legendary civil rights activist, and entertainer. He was 96.

MAY

May 3 – Torie Bowie, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist. Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games, anchoring Team USA to a gold medal in the 100-meter relay.  She was 32.

May 16 – Bill Perkins, New York politician. He was 74.

May 18 – Jim Brown, NFL Legend turned actor and civil rights activist. He was 87.

May 18 – Marlene Clark, actress. She was 73.

Tina Turner

May 24 – Tina Turner, QUEEN of rock ‘n’ roll. She was 83. 

May 24 – Bill Lee, bassist and composer of son Spike Lee’s films. He was 94. 

May 30 – John Beasley, ‘Everwood’ actor. He was 79.

JUNE

June 6 – Paul Eckstein, ‘Godfather of Harlem’ creator and “Hoodlum” and “Narcos” producer. He was 59.

June 7 – Jim Hines, U.S. Olympian and record-breaking sprinter.  He was 76.

June 19 – Clark Haggans, former NFL linebacker. He was 46.

Larry "Gator" Rivers

June 29 – Larry “Gator” Rivers, Harlem Globetrotters legend. He was 73.

June 29 – Christine King Farris, the last living sibling of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She was 95.

JULY

July 7 - Nikki McCray-Penson, basketball star and Olympic gold medalist. She was 51.

July 7 – Mutulu Shakur, Tupac’s stepfather and renowned activist. He was 72.

Oscar Brashear

July 11 – Oscar Brashear, jazz trumpeter. He was 78.

July 16 – Elise Finch, Emmy-winning meteorologist for CBS New York affiliate WCBS-TV. She was 51.

July 20 – YNG Cheese, Philadelphia rapper. He was 25.

July 27 – William Dilday Jr., the first Black television station manager in the entire country and one of the founders of the National Association of Black Journalists.  He was 85.

AUGUST

Aug. 1 – Sheila Oliver, New Jersey Lieutenant Governor. She was 71.

Aug. 3 – Wendell B, singer and songwriter.

Aug. 7 – DJ Casper, songwriter, and hype man. He was 58.

Aug. 11 – Gus Solomon’s Jr., choreographer, dancer. He was 84.

Clarence Avant

Aug. 13 - Clarence Avant, music executive known as The Black Godfather.  He was 92. 

Aug. 13 – Magoo (from producer/collaborator of Timbaland’s crew), rapper. He was 50.

Aug. 14 – Chico Del Vec, founding member of rap group Jr. M.A.F.I.A.

Ron Cephas Jones

Aug. 19 – Ron Cephas Jones, Emmy  Award-winning actor ‘This Is Us’ and ‘Truth Be Told.’  He was 66.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 12 – Mike Williams, NFL wide receiver. He was 36.

Sept. 14 - Pearl Bowser, film director,  recipient of the SCMS Distinguished Career Achievement Award (2005). Affectionately known as the "Godmother of Black Independent Cinema." She unearthed Oscar Micheaux's lost archives, shedding light on the origins of Black Cinema. She was 92.

Sept. 16 – Irish Grinstead, R&B singer, member of 702. She was 43.

Sept. 17 – Fred Lewis, founder of the R&B group, Lakeside.  He was 72.

Sept. 21 - Katherine Anderson, co-founder of The Marvelettes. She was 79.

Kevin Fleming

Sept. 21 – Kevin Fleming, CEO/Publisher of “The Urban Buzz.” He was 65.

Sept. 25 – Zoleka, the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela. She was 43. 

OCTOBER

Oct. 9 – Hughes Van Ellis, the last survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. He was 102.

Oct. 10 – Gail O-Neil, Jamaican-American model. She was 60.

Oct. 10 – Louise Meriwether, writer and activist. She wrote “Daddy Was A Number Runner.” She was 100.

Shirley Jo Finney

Oct. 11 – Shirley Jo Finney, director and actress. She was 74.

Oct. 11 – Rudolph Isley, Isley Brothers co-founder. He was 84.

Oct. 19 - Mark Howard James, aka DJ Mark the 45 King, a respected producer who helped create tracks for some of the most iconic hip-hop acts in history including Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Eric B. and Rakin, Gang Starr, and Common.  He was 62. 

Oct. 23 – Tasha Butts, Former WNBA player and women’s college basketball coach. She was 41. 

Richard Roundtree

Oct. 24 – Richard Roundtree, the iconic actor played Shaft. He was 81.

Oct. 25 - Herbert “Bertie” Bowman, the longest-serving Black congressional staffer in American history, had worked at the Capitol since he was 13. He was 92. 

Oct. 30 - Aaron Spears, a drummer who worked with some of the biggest pop stars in the world including Usher and Ariana Grande. He was 47.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 2 – Walter Davis, Six-time NBA All-Star. He was 69.  

Nov. 7 – C-Knight, Rapper. He was 52.

Nov. 11 – D.J. Hayden, Former NFL cornerback. He was 33.

Nov. 14 – Neville Garrick, photographer, Jamaican graphic artist and visual designer.  He was 70.

Nov. 17 – George Brown, co-founder Kool & The Gang. He was 74.

Carlton Pearson

Nov. 19 – Carlton Pearson, founder and pastor of Higher Dimensions Family Church in Tulsa, OK.  He was 70.

Nov. 27 - Jean Knight, “Mr. Big Stuff” singer. She was 80.

DECEMBER

Dec. 3 - David McKnight, actor (J.D.’s Revenge/Hollywood Shuffle). He was 87.

Ellen Holly

Dec. 5 - Ellen Holly, the first Black actress to star in a soap opera (One Life to Live). She was 92. 

Dec. 6 - Kendall Minter, music industry attorney.

Dec. 7 - Forest Whitaker, ex-wife, actress Keisha Nash. She was 51. 

Dec. 8 - Nidra Beard, Dynasty lead singer. 

Andre Braugher

Dec. 12 - Andre Braugher, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine.’ He was 61.

Dec. 18 - Joseph “Amp” Fiddler, the Detroit-based singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer. He was 65.

Dec. 29 - Maurice Hines, Broadway singer, dancer, and choreographer. He was 80.

Dec. 31 - Les McCann, jazz pianist and vocalist. He was 88.