Obituaries – Page 15 – The Mississippi Link

US civil rights leader Julius Chambers dies at 76

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Julius Chambers, a Charlotte attorney whose practice was in the forefront of the civil rights movement in North Carolina, has died, his law firm said. He was 76.

A statement issued by his law firm, Ferguson Chambers & Sumter, said Chambers died Friday, Aug. 2 after months of declining health. A specific cause of death wasn’t given.

“Mr. Chambers was not the first lawyer of color to try to address the issues of equality,” firm partner Geraldine Sumter said. “He would tell you he had people like Buddy Malone of Durham that he looked to, the Kennedys out of Winston-Salem. The thing that Mr. Chambers brought to that struggle was a very focused, determined attitude that things were going to change.” […]

Rep: Jazz keyboardist George Duke dies at 67

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George Duke, the Grammy-winning jazz keyboardist and producer whose sound infused acoustic jazz, electronic jazz, funk, R&B and soul in a 40-year-plus career, has died. He was 67.

A representative for Duke said the performer died Monday night, Aug. 5, in Los Angeles. Duke was being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Duke’s son, Rashid, thanked his father’s fans in a statement Tuesday. […]

Longtime legislator Barnett dead at 86

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Dr. Jim Barnett, a country doctor and longtime state legislator, died at the age of 86 on July 26.

Officials with Riverwood Family Funeral Service said Barnett died at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. Services were Tuesday. July 30 at First United Methodist Church of Brookhaven with burial following at Riverwood Memorial Park.

A veteran of the Korean War, Barnett practice medicine in Brookhaven for 36 years. He served in the Mississippi House from 1992 to 2008. […]

George 'Boomer' Scott, All-Star 1B, dies at 69

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George “Boomer” Scott, a three-time All-Star first baseman who hit 271 homers in a 14-year major-league career and is a member of the Red Sox hall of fame, died Sunday, July 28. He was 69.

Washington County coroner Methel Johnson confirmed Scott died in Greenville, his hometown.

A three-time All-Star, Scott spent most of his career with the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. He hit 27 homers with 90 RBIs during his rookie season in 1966 – second for a Red Sox rookie only to Ted Williams – and had his best year with the Brewers in 1975, when he hit 36 homers and had 109 RBIs. […]

Former Jackson State football coach ’Judge’ Hughes dies

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Former Jackson State football coach, Robert “Judge” Hughes died Wednesday, July 31, at the age of 68.

Jackson State says in a news release Hughes died Wednesday from complications of diabetes. Services are pending.

Hughes, who has been in and out of the hospital over the last several months, will be remembered by JSU fans as one of the great football players and coaches in the history of Tigers football, Jackson State said in a release. […]

Former Mississippi standout Crespino dies at 75

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Robert “Bobby” Crespino, a tight end and receiver for some of Mississippi’s best football teams from 1958 to 1960, died on Monday, July 29, in Atlanta. He was 75.

Cockrell Funeral Home in Macon, Miss., confirmed Crespino’s death after a lengthy illness, but did not provide details of the illness.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Crespino played for three Ole Miss teams that had a combined 29-3-1 record and earned a share of two national championships in 1959 and 1960. He caught 30 passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns in 1960. […]

Emile Griffith, elegant boxing champ, dies at 75

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Inside the smaller theater at Madison Square Garden about five years ago, shortly before a world title fight, Emile Griffith was introduced one more time to the crowd. He rose shakily from his seat, waved ever so briefly and then sat down.

The applause kept going.

Revered in retirement perhaps more than during his fighting days, Griffith died Tuesday, July 23, at 75 after a long battle with pugilistic dementia. The first fighter to be crowned world champion from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Griffith required full-time care late in life and died at an extended care facility in Hempstead, N.Y. […]

Doctor: Dennis Farina was being treated for cancer

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Dennis Farina’s doctor says the actor died while being treated for lung cancer.

Farina, who died Monday after suffering a blood clot in his lung, had been under treatment for the cancer for several months, according to his cardiologist, Dr. Marc A. Kates.

Thirteen years ago Farina had been diagnosed with “a small cancer that was treated and cured with surgery,” Kates said in a statement on Tuesday. […]

Memorial honors ‘Enter the Dragon’ actor Jim Kelly

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A memorial service was held in Lexington, Kentucky on July 13 for Millersburg native Jim Kelly. A 1970s black action hero, Kelly starred in at least 12 films including “Melinda“, “Three the Hard Way” and “Enter the Dragon” with Bruce Lee.

Kelly died of cancer at his San Diego home on June 30 at the age of 67.

Sporting an Afro hairstyle and sideburns, Kelly and his lanky 6-foot-2 frame made a splash with his one-liners and fight scenes in the 1973 martial arts classic “Enter the Dragon.” […]

Former MSU player Mitchell dead at 72

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Leland Mitchell, a former Mississippi State basketball star who played in the renowned MSU-Loyola game in 1963, died Saturday, July 6 at the age of 72.

Mitchell died at his home in Starkville.

Officials with Welch Funeral Home in Starkville said services were held on July 11.

The 6-foot-4 Mitchell starred at guard on the MSU team that won the Southeastern Conference championship and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. State law prohibited the all-white Bulldogs from traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to face an integrated Loyola University of Chicago team, but MSU coach Babe McCarthy sneaked the team out of town to play the game. […]