obit
Grand Puba & Brand Nubian Affiliate DJ Stud Dugee Has Reportedly Passed Away
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Elektra / @HevNamedMeGrap Fans of Grand Puba and his solo efforts are well aware that he ventured off on his own with DJ Alamo of his group Brand Nubian and Stud Dugee in tow. According to a tweet from Grap Luva and others, Stud Doogie has reportedly passed away and some have chimed in with thoughts. Not much is known about the passing of Stud Dugee, and we must note that Grap Luva spelled the name Doogie and an older tweet from Brand Nubian’s Sadat X spells it as Doughie. We happened across the Facebook page of Ron Cherry, which we can confirm is the given name of DJ Stud Dugee. Via the page, Dugee’s connection to Hip-Hop elite circles spread far and wide as he shared photos with late legends Biz Markie, Black Rob, and also appears in photos with Ra...
WSB-TV News Anchor Jovita Moore Has Passed, Colleagues & More Remember Her Via Twitter
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Hearts are heavy across the Atlanta metropolitan region and the rest of the nation after news that Emmy Award-winning journalist Jovita Moore has died. Moore was an anchor for the city’s WSB-TV outlet and was upheld as a beloved fixture by not only viewers and colleagues, but those outside her industry as well. WSB-TV anchor Justin Farmer delivered the news with alarming professionalism and poise, despite speaking of not only a workplace partner but a dear friend of his. Gamely, Farmer delivered the news out of sheer obligation and perhaps a will of steel as the production team put together a collage of videos featuring Moore at work. Moore, a native of New York City, obtained her undergraduate degree from Bennington College in...
Rest Powerfully In Peace To Shawn “Jeranimo” Oliver Of Rumpletilskinz
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Twitter / @JazzUNGang Hip-Hop fans of a certain age are no doubt well aware of the iconic dance, the East Coast Stomp, popularized by Long Island collective, Leaders Of The New School. The inventor of the dance, Shawn “Jeranimo” Oliver of Rumpletilskinz fame has reportedly passed away. Few details are known about Oliver’s passing, but Jazz from the group, The U.N., shared a tweet on Monday (October 25) mourning the loss of his Long Island brethren in Jeranimo. “Rest In Perfection Shawn “Geronimo” Oliver,” read one tweet from Jazz, featuring an image of the late Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, a woman who appears to be rapper Lin Que, and Dinco D of Leaders Of The New School. In the flick, Phife is pretending...
Rising R&B Singer Emani 22 Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Instagram / @lonebrain A rising R&B star out of Califonia tragically lost her life earlier this week, and some of her peers are paying their respects. Emani 22 of Lancaster reportedly died this past Monday (October 11), and the details are largely being kept from the public at the moment. PEOPLE exclusively spoke with Emani 22’s manager and received a statement sharing the tragic news. From PEOPLE: “It is with heavy hearts that the family of Emani has confirmed her passing,” a statement provided to PEOPLE reads. “They would like to share that although she fought courageously and the medical team went above and beyond doing everything in their power to aid in her recovery, on Monday, October 11th, Emani succumbed to the injuries she sustained after a t...
Singer-Songwriter Andrea Martin, Who Penned Songs For Toni Braxton & En Vogue, Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Cindy Ord / Getty Andrea Martin, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer, has died according to a statement that appeared on social media. Martin, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, penned hits for the likes of Toni Braxton and En Vogue among others. While the details of Martin’s passing are being kept private by the family, the news has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry where Martin was deeply respected for her work as a songwriter and remembered as an artist herself. “Dear Family and Friends, it is with a heavy heart we inform you of the passing of our beautiful Andrea Martin also known as ‘Annie,’” began the statement, which was shared via Martin’s Instagram Story feed. “Andrea will always be remembered for her passion and dedication...
Veteran Screen Actor Clarence Williams III Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty Clarence Williams III, an actor with credits that stretch back to the late 1960s, has passed away. Williams found fame early but is perhaps most notable for playing intense and eccentric characters while in possession of a most unique voice. As shared in a report from Deadline, Williams, a native of New York City, found fame as the imposing yet suave police detective Linc Hayes on the hit series, The Mod Squad. The show began its five-season run in 1968, establishing Williams as a star to watch out for. In the later stages of his career, Williams made unforgettable turns as Prince’s father in Purple Rain, and hammed it up alongside Dave Chappelle in the stoner cult classic, Half Baked. Williams also starred in 52 Pick-Up, Reindee...
Yaphet Kotto, Actor Known For Playing Tough Characters, Dead At 81
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: NBC / Getty Yaphet Kotto made his mark in film and television by playing imposing tough guys and grizzled individuals fighting against the trials and tribulations of life. It is being reported that Kotto died on Monday (March) 15 according to an announcement from his wife via Facebook. Kotto was born November 15, 1939, in New York, N.Y. to a father reportedly of Cameroonian royalty lineage and an American mother of Panamanian and West Indian descent. Kotto began studying the craft of acting as a teenager and at 19, he made his debut as an actor in Othello. Kotto joined the Actors Studio in New York and appeared in productions on Broadway, honing his skills on stage. Kotto made his big-screen debut in 1963 in an uncredited role at 23 and the following year...
Reggie Warren Of ’80s R&B Group Troop Dead At 52
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Instagram / @stevenrussellhartss Troop, an R&B group that first amassed fame in the 1980s, lost one of its founding members over the weekend. Reggie Warren, who has battled health issues in the past, died surrounded by family and friends this past Sunday (March 14). Troop got their start in 1987 out of Pasadena, Calif. with Steve “Random” Russell, John “Jon Jon” Harreld, Rodney Benford, Allen McNeil, and Reggie Warren. Russell took to Instagram to share news of Warren’s passing, sharing a picture of his musical partner with a loving message. “ob well done my brother I will see you on the other side. RIP Reggie Warren #DamnReggie, Russell wrote. In the body of the post, R&B singer Case, Hit-Boy, Melba Moore, CeCe Peniston, and more offered their si...
Civil Rights Activist & Bill Clinton Adviser Vernon Jordan Has Died
Source: PGA TOUR Archive / Getty Vernon Jordan, a notable civil rights activist and an adviser to President Bill Clinton has died. The family said that Mr. Jordan passed away peacefully surrounded by family and loved ones. Jordan was born August 15, 1935, in Atlanta, Ga., later graduating from Indiana’s DePauw University and the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. In 1971, Jordan was the president of the National Urban League, a post he commanded for a decade. The NUL’s State of Black America report was first initialized by Jordan in 1976 in response to President Gerald Ford’s State of the Union Address which Jordan and the NUL failed to speak to the concerns that Black Americans faced at the time. Jordan’s tenure with the NUL was productive, as it expanded national chapter...
Revered Hip-Hop Photographer Ricky Powell Has Passed Away
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Famed Hip-Hop and street photographer Ricky Powell has passed away. NME is reporting that the triple OG cameraman who worked with the likes of Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys, and Andy Warhol died of heart failure at the too-young age of 59. “I just want to let everybody know he was a very special man, and he will be sorely missed.” Powell began his professional career in 1986 when he left his gig selling lemon ices to join with Run-DMC and Beastie Boys on the Raising Hell tour. After capturing some of Hip-Hop’s most iconic pictures during that run, Powell went on to become one of the most notable photographers in the game and eventually published a few books including Oh Snap!: The Rap Photography of Ricky Powell and Public Access: Ricky Powell Photographs 1985-2005...
Spencer Davis, ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ Guitarist, Dies at 81
Spencer Davis, the guitarist best known for his hits ubiquitous late-’60’s hits “I’m a Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” with his band the Spencer Davis Group, died in California at the age of 81, the BBC reports. According to his agent Bob Birk, Davis died in the hospital on Oct. 19 while being treated for pneumonia “He was a very good friend,” Birk told the BBC. “He was a highly ethical, very talented, good-hearted, extremely intelligent, generous man. He will be missed.” Born in Swansea, Wales, Davis’ first group, the Saints, featured future Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. He also performed with Christine Perfect, who, using her married name of Christine McVie, went on to join Fleetwood Mac. The guitarist and multi-instrumentalist formed the Spencer Davis Group in Birmingham, U...
Manchester, Tenn. Mayor Lonnie Norman Has Died Of COVID-19 Complications
Source: City of Manchester / City Of Manchester Lonnie J. Norman, a longtime mayor of Manchester, a small town in Tennessee, has died from COVID-19 complications. Norman was just re-elected to a third term as mayor this past August but fell ill at the top of October. Local publication the Manchester Times reports that Norman passed away Monday (Oct. 12) after being hospitalized at the top of the month due to complaints related to the coronavirus. From the Times: The Board of Mayor and Aldermen has issued the following statement: Today we share in the sorrow of a great loss to our community. Mayor Lonnie J.Norman was a dedicated servant to the people of Manchester for several years. He served as Mayor during the early 9o’s and again since 2012. Lonnie was a statesman and a diplomat, but abo...
