"Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius was found dead at his Sherman Oaks on home Wednesday morning.
Law enforcement sources said police arrived at Cornelius' home around 4 a.m. He apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing.
Sad day today, hope he is riding that sooooullllll traaaainnnn in the sky now.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the first day of Black History Month, too. This is sad. Watched that show a lot as a kid, was just YouTubing it last Friday.
ReplyDeleteoh, how sad. :( loved watching him as a kid
ReplyDeletedeath comes in 3's...
ReplyDeleteVery sad.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised when the news gave his age as 75. How could he be 75? Dang, I'm getting old.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up it wasn't a Saturday until I watched American Bandstand and Soul Train.
according to TMZ he had a lot of health problems and had a bad divorce. Looks like he was just trying to end his own misery on his own terms.
ReplyDeleteSad say for music. I was a Soul Train, American Bandstand junkie as well. He can swap stories with Etta.
ReplyDelete^*day* for music.
ReplyDeleteI hope he has found some peace.
ReplyDeleteoh no!
ReplyDeleteOkay gang, showing some of our ages here..
Admit it, who would dance to American Bandstand and then dance to Soul Train?
ME ME ME ME ME MEEEEEEEE!
Oh...no, my mom and I used to dance to Soul Train...
ReplyDeleteRIP, a great man
ReplyDeleteRIP Don, I hope that you've finally found "love, peace, and SOUL!" somewhere in heaven.
ReplyDeleteI can understand taking your life with drugs, but I cannot understand shooting yourself...you must have a lot of self-hate, which makes it so much sadder.
ReplyDeleteAfter the morning chores, it was totally American Bandstand and the Soul Train~
ReplyDeleteRIP Don, you had a velvet voice
I will agree with a reader (can't remember their name) who says that suicide is NOT a cowardly act. I do get it "rarely" why one ends their life this way.
ReplyDeleteMay he RIP.
Tempestuous Grape,
Men often use this type of violence to kill themselves. I don't think self-hate comes into play.
The "Best of Soul Train" used to air on BET (I think). That was some good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI loved the way that badass motha fuckin' train would chug in the opening segment.
Tempestuous Grape - my father shot himself in the head - why exactly do you think it has anything to do with self-hate? Mental illness is mental illness. It was what he had access to (he was a hunter) and he knew it would get the job done. Suicide statistics show clearly that gunshot is chosen far more often by men than by women.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks, Lady Chatterly - I say that a lot :)
He was a class act. I'm sorry that his troubles made him feel that he had no other alternative. Regardless of the person's age, suicide is always heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI think people underestimate the effect conflicting meds has on an already stressed psyche. I'd thought he'd been in poor health for years; didn't he have a brain tumor or something 10 years ago? Maybe he just couldn't stand the unhappy issues in his life while dealing with side effects from his doctor's prescriptions.
ReplyDeleteWeezy, your last sentence is spot on!
ReplyDeleteAww, man. Shame.
ReplyDeleteI loved Soul Train and American Bandstand equally back in the day.
Even liked Club MTV when I would catch it now and then (Camille with that flying blond hair!)
RIP. He was an icon.
Death happens in 3's. Death happens everyday and more than 3 people die a day!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up in the 70's, Fat Albert came on right before Soul Train. Loved them both.
ReplyDeleteYeah count me as the Saturday morning junkie with Fat Albert, American Bandstand and Soooooooooooouuuuuuuul Train.
ReplyDeleteI visited CA years ago before I moved here and went to some famous restaurant I cannot remember now,and Don Cornelius was the only celeb I saw but I was pert dern excited about that. May he rest in peace.
IMO suicide is not just about mental illness. Years ago, a friend's husband shot himself in the head on New Year's eve. He had MS and was basically unable to move, take care of himself, etc. He had always worked hard for a living and took pride in being able to support his family. He and my friend lived in a house that was heated by a wood stove and he always made sure there were cords of wood cut, stacked and ready for the winter.
ReplyDeleteHis wife and all his friends, although grief-stricken, understood why he had done it although they wished he could have just let them care for him in the time he had left.
I don't think he killed himself because he was mentally ill. I think it was because life had become unbearable and in his mind there was no other way.
I used to watch him on SOOOOOOUUUUL TRAAAAAIN on Sunday mornings. I hope there's a giant funky disco in the sky, and he's there MCing.
ReplyDeleteMay you find peace Mr Cornelius.
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent point, penelope. Totally agree.
ReplyDelete