Ron Glass – Ron Glass, a prolific TV actor known for playing Ron Harris in the sitcom “Barney Miller” and Shepherd Derrial Book in “Firefly,” has died. He was 71. The actor’s rep confirmed the death to Variety, but had no further details regarding the cause or location.
Sharon Jones - Sharon Jones, the fiery soul singer who spent decades in obscurity before becoming a Grammy nominated soul and funk vocalist with her longtime backing band the DapKings, died on Friday of pancreatic cancer. She was 60.
Aaron Pryor Aaron Pryor was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996, and in 1999 was voted by the Associated Press as the world’s best light welterweight of the 20th century. Pryor died on October 9, 2016 after suffering from heart disease.
Tommy Ford ‘Martin’ – Star Thomas Mikal Ford has passed away at age 52.The actor was reportedly recovering from knee surgery when he suffered a ruptured aneurysm and fell into “a state of unconsciousness” on Wednesday afternoon while recovering in an Atlanta hospital.
Buckwheat Zydeco Musician Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. who rose from a cotton picking family in southwest Louisiana to introduce zydeco music to the world through his namesake band Buckwheat Zydeco, has died. He was 68.
Bill Nunn Director Spike Lee led the tributes to Do the Right Thing actor Bill Nunn, who died 9/24/2016 at age 63. Nunn died at his home in Pittsburgh after battling cancer, according to The Associated Press.
John Saunders Sports broadcasting legend John Saunders was not breathing when he was discovered Wednesday morning (8/10/16) at his New York home by his wife Wanda, who called Saunders, 61, a voice at ESPN for nearly 30 years, died after emergency responders couldn’t resuscitate him.
Dennis Green the former great Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals coach, passed away 7/21/16 from complications of cardiac arrest, according to his family. He was 67.
Bernie Worrell – Bernie Worrell, the cherished keyboardist for Parliament Funkadelic and an unofficial member of Talking Heads, has died. The musician lost his battle with stage four lung cancer at the age of 72. Known as The Wizard of Woo, Worrell was a New Jersey native who moved to Detroit in the 1970s with doowop group The Parliaments.
Kimbo Slice Mixed martial arts star Kimbo Slice, who died 6/6/2016 at the age of 42, was diagnosed with heart failure and informed he needed a heart transplant, according to a report by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
John Young who founded RBI, a youth baseball program designed to bring African American youth back to the sport, died in Los Angeles. He was 67. “All of us at Major League Baseball are saddened by the loss of John Young, a trailblazer and champion of both professional and youth baseball,” commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in a statement.
Billy Paul Legendary soul singer Billy Paul has died at the age of 81. According to his website, the musician passed away at his home in Blackwood, New Jersey after a serious medical condition.
Prince Legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson died at his Paisley Park residence 4/21 at the age of 57, There were no further details as to the cause of death at this time.
Leon Haywood – Leon Haywood, the silky smooth R&B singer songwriter and producer whose 1975 single “I Want’ a Do Something Freaky to You” was famously sampled by Dr. Dre and others, died in his sleep 4/5/2016 in Los Angeles.
David Smyrl, the Emmy winning actor best known for his role as Mr Handford, the retired firefighter who ran Hooper’s Store on Sesame Street, died 3/22/16. He was 80. Smyrl was diagnosed with lung cancer in January.
Phife Dawg Phife Dawg, a founding member of the rap group A Tribe Called Quest, passed away on 3/22/16. Phife, whose real name is Malik Taylor, suffered a series of medical complications in recent years.
Daryl Coley Minister and Gospel singer Daryl Coley has died, he was 60 and died in hospice care. Known for songs like “He’s Preparing Me,” “When Sunday Comes”and “Beyond the Vail,” Coley was born in Berkley, California.
Vanity Denise Matthews, who as Vanity fronted the group Vanity 6 but was best known for her collaboration with Prince, died at a hospital in Fremont, California. Spokesperson Gisela Hernandez did not say when Matthews died or under what circumstances.
Maurice White Maurice White, founder and covocalist of Earth, Wind & Fire has died aged 74. His brother confirmed the musician died in his sleep in Los Angeles on 1/4/16 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. The band is known for hits such as Shining Star, September, Boogie Wonderland.
Nicholas Caldwell Nicholas Caldwell, co-founder and singer with the California R&B group The Whispers, has died. He was 71. Caldwell died 1/5/2016 of congestive heart failure at his San Francisco home.
