obituaries
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The Music Industry Reacts to the Passing of Grammy Award-Winning Songwriter LaShawn Daniels: ‘We Needed Him’
You might not immediately recognize his name, but LaShawn Daniels, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter who penned the soundtrack to many of our lives, has reportedly passed away at the age of 41. The Independent reports that the cause of death has yet to be determined, but friends and collaborators have taken to social media to…
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Singer Andre Williams, the 'Godfather of Rap', Dead at 82
R&B singer-producer Andre Williams, whose indelible musical journey included collaborative efforts with Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, and Ray Charles, has died at the age of 82. On Wednesday, Williams’ record label, Pravda Records, announced his passing on Facebook, paying tribute to their fallen star. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of…
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The New York Times Finally Recognizes the Legacies of These World-Changing Black Women
On Women’s Day, the New York Times published an interactive collection called “Overlooked,” a series of obituaries written for notable figures who are long gone but for myriad reasons were not recognized by the Times when they died. In it, the Times acknowledges that over the years, it has repeatedly neglected to recognize notable women…
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Pioneering Educator and Founder of Washington, DC’s Duke Ellington School of Arts Dies
Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a socialite, social activist and founder of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, died this past weekend in Washington, D.C. The Washington Post reports that the 70-year-old trailblazer died as a result of complications from pneumonia, her son, Zach Cafritz, said. Cooper Cafritz will be remembered for breaking down barriers, starting…
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South Jersey Man’s Wife, Girlfriend Place Competing Obituaries in Same Paper
Talk about a hot mess. Or maybe it’s an understanding. After 55-year-old Leroy Black passed away from lung cancer on Tuesday, two different women placed obituaries of him in the same newspaper. One posting was by his “loving wife Bearetta Harrison Black” who called him “Bill.” His “longtime girlfriend Princess Hall”’s obit referred to Black…