Famous African Americans obituaries for 2013

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OBITUARIES  in 2013

Ricky Dunigan, AKA Lord Infamous – Lord Infamous, died during a visit at his mother’s home in Memphis on 12/20/13. He was 40 years old. His half-brother, told The Hollywood Reporter that Dunigan “passed away in his sleep from a heart attack. He said he was tired, he wanted to sleep. He sat down at the kitchen table, put his head in his arms to lay down…to get some sleep.”
L.C. Greenwood – L.C. Greenwood, the relentless defensive end who made up one quarter of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ “Steel Curtain” defense of the 1970s, has died on 9/29/13. He was 67. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Greenwood died Sunday from undisclosed causes just before noon at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital.
Ken Norton – He was the second man to beat Muhammad Ali, breaking Ali’s jaw and sending him to the hospital in their 1973 heavyweight fight. Ken Norton died 9/18/2013 at the age of 70, lost that fight for the heavyweight title. But he was forever linked to Ali for the 39 rounds they fought over three fights.
Dean ‘The Dream’ Meminger – New York playground legend Dean (The Dream) Meminger, who rose to become a New York Knick but later sank the rest of his shots into drugs and hard living, was found dead in a Harlem hotel Friday of what cops said is a possible overdose. He was 65.
Lee Thompson Young – Former Disney star Lee Thompson Young has died at the age of 29, TMZ reports. The “Famous Jett Jackson” star was found dead by his Los Angeles landlord after his coworkers on the set of TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles” called the landlord when Young failed to show up for work.
George Duke – Jazz musician George Duke died 8/5/13 in Los Angeles at age 67. A pioneer in the funk and R&B genres, he had been battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, according to his label Concord Music Group, which confirmed his death.
Emile Griffith – Emile Griffith, the former world champion whose career was overshadowed by the fatal beating he gave Benny Paret in a 1962 title bout, died 7/23/13. He was 75. He died at an extended care facility in Hempstead, N.Y, the International Boxing Hall of Fame said.
Jim Kelly – Hollywood actor and karate expert, Jim Kelly, who featured in ‘Enter the Dragon’ along with Bruce Lee, has lost his fight with cancer. He was 67. The actor’s former wife- Marilyn Dishman said that he died on Saturday of cancer at his home in California.
Bobby Blue Bland – Bobby “Blue” Bland, a distinguished singer who blended Southern blues and soul in songs such as “Turn on Your Love Light” and “Further On Up the Road,” died 6/23/13. He was 83. Bland died due to complications from an ongoing illness at his Memphis, Tenn., home surrounded by relatives.
Deacon Jones – David “Deacon” Jones, the original sackmaster, died on 06/03/13. The Hall of Fame defensive end credited with terming the word sack for how he knocked down quarterbacks, was 74. Jones died of natural causes at his home in Southern California.
Chris Kelly – Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross — who made one of the decade’s most memorable songs with the frenetic “Jump” — has died, and authorities say they are investigating his death as a possible drug overdose.
Richie Havens – Richie Havens, the folk singer and guitarist who was the first performer at Woodstock, died 4/22/13 at age 72. Havens died of a heart attack in New Jersey. He was born in Brooklyn. Havens was known for his crafty guitar work and cover songs, including his well-received cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman.”
Bob Teague – Bob Teague, who joined WNBC-TV in New York in 1963 as one of the city’s first black television journalists and went on to work as a reporter, anchorman and producer for more than three decades, died on 3/28/13 in New Brunswick, N.J. He was 84.
Deke Richards – Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards has died at a Bellingham, Wash., hospice at age 68. Spokeswoman Amy Cloud confirms that Richards, whose real name was Dennis Lussier, died 3/25/13 at the Whatcom Hospice House.
Bobbie Smith – Bobbie Smith, lead singer for the Detroit soul group the Spinners, died following complications from flu and pneumonia, The Associated Press reports. He was 76, and had been diagnosed with lung cancer in November.
Bobby Rogers – Singer Bobby Rogers, a founding member of the hit-making Motown group the Miracles along with Smokey Robinson, died 3/3/13 in suburban Detroit after a lengthy illness, family members and associates said. He was 73.
Otis “Damon” Harris – Otis Harris, a former member of The Temptations who sang on the group’s 1972 hit “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” died at the age 62, after fighting prostate cancer for 14 years. Harris auditioned to join the Temptations in 1971 at the age of 21 after the departure of Eddie Kendricks, one of the original lead singers of the group.
Lou Myers – Actor Lou Myers, best known for his role as ornery restaurant owner Mr. Gaines on the television series “A Different World,” died 2/19/2013. Tonia McDonald of Myers’ nonprofit, said Myers died at Charleston Area Medical Center in WV.
Tim Dog – Rapper Tim Dog, whose 1991 song “F— Compton” was one of the early strikes in the East Coast-West Coast rap war of the 1990s, has died at 46, The Source reports. The hip-hop publication says the New York rapper, born Tim Blair, died 2/14/2013 of a seizure after battling diabetes.
Donald Byrd – The influential jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd died at the age of 80. Alex Bugnon, a jazz pianist, reported his uncle’s death. Byrd’s legacy is summed up by his nephew’s Facebook tribute: “Let’s remember Donald as a one of a kind pioneer of the trumpet, of the many styles of music he took on, of music education.

Nelson Mandela

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