obit
Singer-Songwriter Andrea Martin, Who Penned Songs For Toni Braxton & En Vogue, Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Cindy Ord / Getty Andrea Martin, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer, has died according to a statement that appeared on social media. Martin, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, penned hits for the likes of Toni Braxton and En Vogue among others. While the details of Martin’s passing are being kept private by the family, the news has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry where Martin was deeply respected for her work as a songwriter and remembered as an artist herself. “Dear Family and Friends, it is with a heavy heart we inform you of the passing of our beautiful Andrea Martin also known as ‘Annie,’” began the statement, which was shared via Martin’s Instagram Story feed. “Andrea will always be remembered for her passion and dedication...
Veteran Screen Actor Clarence Williams III Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Clarence Williams III, an actor with credits that stretch back to the late 1960s, has passed away. Williams found fame early but is perhaps most notable for playing intense and eccentric characters while in possession of a most unique voice. As shared in a report from Deadline, Williams, a native of New York City, found fame as the imposing yet suave police detective Linc Hayes on the hit series, The Mod Squad. The show began its five-season run in 1968, establishing Williams as a star to watch out for. In the later stages of his career, Williams made unforgettable turns as Prince’s father in Purple Rain, and hammed it up alongside Dave Chappelle in the stoner cult classic, Half Baked. Williams also starred in 52 Pick-Up, Reindee...
Yaphet Kotto, Actor Known For Playing Tough Characters, Dead At 81
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: NBC / Getty Yaphet Kotto made his mark in film and television by playing imposing tough guys and grizzled individuals fighting against the trials and tribulations of life. It is being reported that Kotto died on Monday (March) 15 according to an announcement from his wife via Facebook. Kotto was born November 15, 1939, in New York, N.Y. to a father reportedly of Cameroonian royalty lineage and an American mother of Panamanian and West Indian descent. Kotto began studying the craft of acting as a teenager and at 19, he made his debut as an actor in Othello. Kotto joined the Actors Studio in New York and appeared in productions on Broadway, honing his skills on stage. Kotto made his big-screen debut in 1963 in an uncredited role at 23 and the following year...
Reggie Warren Of ’80s R&B Group Troop Dead At 52
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Instagram / @stevenrussellhartss Troop, an R&B group that first amassed fame in the 1980s, lost one of its founding members over the weekend. Reggie Warren, who has battled health issues in the past, died surrounded by family and friends this past Sunday (March 14). Troop got their start in 1987 out of Pasadena, Calif. with Steve “Random” Russell, John “Jon Jon” Harreld, Rodney Benford, Allen McNeil, and Reggie Warren. Russell took to Instagram to share news of Warren’s passing, sharing a picture of his musical partner with a loving message. “ob well done my brother I will see you on the other side. RIP Reggie Warren #DamnReggie, Russell wrote. In the body of the post, R&B singer Case, Hit-Boy, Melba Moore, CeCe Peniston, and more offered their si...
Civil Rights Activist & Bill Clinton Adviser Vernon Jordan Has Died
Source: PGA TOUR Archive / Getty Vernon Jordan, a notable civil rights activist and an adviser to President Bill Clinton has died. The family said that Mr. Jordan passed away peacefully surrounded by family and loved ones. Jordan was born August 15, 1935, in Atlanta, Ga., later graduating from Indiana’s DePauw University and the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. In 1971, Jordan was the president of the National Urban League, a post he commanded for a decade. The NUL’s State of Black America report was first initialized by Jordan in 1976 in response to President Gerald Ford’s State of the Union Address which Jordan and the NUL failed to speak to the concerns that Black Americans faced at the time. Jordan’s tenure with the NUL was productive, as it expanded national chapter...
Revered Hip-Hop Photographer Ricky Powell Has Passed Away
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Famed Hip-Hop and street photographer Ricky Powell has passed away. NME is reporting that the triple OG cameraman who worked with the likes of Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys, and Andy Warhol died of heart failure at the too-young age of 59. “I just want to let everybody know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed.” Powell began his professional career in 1986 when he left his gig selling lemon ices to join with Run-DMC and Beastie Boys on the Raising Hell tour. After capturing some of Hip-Hop’s most iconic pictures during that run, Powell went on to become one of the most notable photographers in the game and eventually published a few books including Oh Snap!: The Rap Photography of Ricky Powell and Public Access: Ricky Powell Photographs 1985-2005...
Spencer Davis, ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ Guitarist, Dies at 81
Spencer Davis, the guitarist best known for his hits ubiquitous late-’60’s hits “I’m a Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” with his band the Spencer Davis Group, died in California at the age of 81, the BBC reports. According to his agent Bob Birk, Davis died in the hospital on Oct. 19 while being treated for pneumonia “He was a very good friend,” Birk told the BBC. “He was a highly ethical, very talented, good-hearted, extremely intelligent, generous man. He will be missed.” Born in Swansea, Wales, Davis’ first group, the Saints, featured future Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. He also performed with Christine Perfect, who, using her married name of Christine McVie, went on to join Fleetwood Mac. The guitarist and multi-instrumentalist formed the Spencer Davis Group in Birmingham, U...
Manchester, Tenn. Mayor Lonnie Norman Has Died Of COVID-19 Complications
Source: City of Manchester / City Of Manchester Lonnie J. Norman, a longtime mayor of Manchester, a small town in Tennessee, has died from COVID-19 complications. Norman was just re-elected to a third term as mayor this past August but fell ill at the top of October. Local publication the Manchester Times reports that Norman passed away Monday (Oct. 12) after being hospitalized at the top of the month due to complaints related to the coronavirus. From the Times: The Board of Mayor and Aldermen has issued the following statement: Today we share in the sorrow of a great loss to our community. Mayor Lonnie J.Norman was a dedicated servant to the people of Manchester for several years. He served as Mayor during the early 9o’s and again since 2012. Lonnie was a statesman and a diplomat, but abo...
Herman Cain Dies After Battle With COVID-19
Source: Carrie Devorah / WENN / WENN Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate, and business executive lost his battle with the COVID-19 virus. Cain was recently seen at a campaign rally with President Donald Trump and was hospitalized at the top of the month. According to a statement issued by Cain’s website editor Dan Calabrese, Cain passed away Thursday morning (July 30) after entering an Atlanta hospital on July 1 with a diagnosis of the novel coronavirus. Cain, a survivor of stage 4 colon cancer, was last seen in public at the Tulsa, Okla. rally held by Trump to kick off his reelection campaign. In several photos, Cain was pictured alongside others and in close contact without wearing a mask. From Calabrese: You’re never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with t...
Stepa J. Groggs Of Injury Reserve Dead At 32
Source: Lisa Lake / Getty Injury Reserve, a Hip-Hop trio out of Arizona that amassed a loyal fanbase after years toiling within the underground, has suffered an unfortunate loss. Stepa J Groggs, one of the rappers in the three-man crew, has died. Stepa J Groggs was born Jordan Groggs and became affiliated with Nathaniel “Ritchie With A T” Ritchie after working at a VANS store that Ritchie’s mother owned. Their producer, Parker Corey, joined the crew, and they made it official in 2014 with the release of their first EP, Cooler Colors. In 2015, Injury Reserve dropped their first mixtape Live From The Dentist Office, which was recorded at a dental office owned by Corey’s grandfather. In 2019, the trio dropped their self-titled debut studio album with features from Amine, Freddie Gibbs, JPEGMA...
Milton Glaser, Designer Of “I Love NY” Logo, Dead At 91
Source: picture alliance / Getty Milton Glaser, a graphic designer responsible for the iconic “I Love NY” logo, has died. Mr. Glaser was also behind several logos and art, including the log for DC Comics among other works. TMZ reports that Glaser died Friday, (July 26), his 91st birthday by way of a stroke and renal failure according to still developing reports. From Glaser’s bio section from his website: Milton Glaser (b.1929) is among the most celebrated graphic designers in the United States. He has had the distinction of one-man-shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. He was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum (2004) and the Fulbright Association (2011), and in 2009 he was the first graphic designer to recei...
Journalist & Writer Jas Waters Passes Away At 39
Source: Jas Fly / Twitter The entertainment world is joined together with hearts heavy after news that one of their own has passed away. The news of Jas Waters and her passing made its round on social media before it was officially confirmed on Wednesday (June 10). Rain Management Group confirmed Waters’ passing via Twitter in a statement accompanied by an image of the celebrated writer. “It is with extremely heavy hearts that all of us at RMG mourn the life of our client & friend, Jas Waters. Jas was a talented & gifted writer, an amazing person, & a sweet soul who will be forever missed. Though she is no longer with us, her impact will be felt for years to come,” read the caption for the tweet. It is with extremely heavy hearts that all of us at RMG mourn the life of our clie...
