don't know the details....just heard about it. Another legend is gone...






Hi, folks - Anxy here. Let's try to keep our recollections, thoughts, mourning, tributes, etc. to this thread as much as we can. I've gotten a lot of messages from people who are shocked to discover this news, and I think the best thing for us to do is to have one spot on the site where we can all discuss this loss. Thank you - Anx

goat2004 said:

Please post a direct link. I can't find it.

Man that is so sad. I was just listening to "Fire and Desire" yesterday. He was in Chicago not that long ago and I didn't go see him. Im not gonna miss any other legends in concert anymore. Prayers to his family...

PurpleCharm said:

it's at the header of the site right now, on a red banner...dayum, these past couple summers ain't been no joke!

What a shock. I clicked on the Boston Globe website to get the local news, and it just seemed like a joke...

Dansa, there's already two other threads re this.Go ahead & lock mines if you like.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Thanks..

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I keep checking the CNN site, and I still don't see it posted anywhere.

OH MY GOD.

PurpleCharm said:

'Super Freak' Rick James dead
Friday, August 6, 2004 Posted: 3:34 PM EDT (1934 GMT)


Rick James appeared at ASCAP's Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in June.

CNN) -- Singer Rick James was found dead in his home Friday morning by his caretaker, a Los Angeles police Department spokesman said.

James, 56, was a musical icon of the early 1980's and credited with helping to create the "punk funk" style of music that was characterized in his 1981 album "Street Songs."

"Street Songs" was widely acclaimed as a masterpiece upon its release and featured such hits as "Super Freak," "Give it To Me Baby," and "Fire and Desire."

"Street Songs" went triple platinum and catapulted James into the forefront of the funk movement.

The album's gritty content earned James a bad boy reputation that he often had a tough time living down. Some critics said it led to his eventual involvement with drugs and a conviction for aggravated assault and false imprisonment in the 1990s.

Harlepolis said:

Damn, Harle I read your thread w/ the Rick James interviews this morning & thought Rick James is still old school & now he's gone...

Wow. It's gonna be a strange weekend.
[This message was edited Fri Aug 6 12:45:16 2004 by OdysseyMiles]

wow.

OdysseyMiles said:

seriously.

Shit. I saw PhilG's thread about it and was hoping he was wrong. I'd much rather have Rick around ranting about his dislike of Prince in interviews than to have him gone. Regardless of his past lifestyle, this is the type of thing that takes something out of you and makes ya feel old.

Godspeed Rick

THE BELL TOLLS FOR THE SUPER FREAK

May his soul rest in perfect peace.

love and blessings.

More detail from ABC News

Funk Singer Rick James Dies in Los Angeles, Apparently of Natural Causes

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Aug. 6, 2004 — Funk singer Rick James, best known for the 1981 hit "Super Freak," died Friday, apparently of natural causes, police said.
James, 56, died at 9:45 a.m. at a residence near Universal City, said Officer Esther Reyes, a Police Department spokeswoman.

"He died apparently of natural causes. We learned of his death after responding to a radio call," Reyes said.

After his big hit, James' fame began to fade as he became embroiled in legal problems and health troubles.

James was convicted in 1993 of assaulting two women. The first attack occurred in 1991 when he restrained and burned a young woman with a hot pipe during a cocaine binge at his house in West Hollywood. He was free on bail when the second assault occurred in 1992 in James' hotel room.

James was sentenced to more than two years in state prison.

In 1997, he released a new album, but a year later he suffered a stroke while performing at Denver's Mammoth Events Center, derailing a comeback tour.

In 1998 he also underwent hip replacement surgery.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This is not funny. But, I bet somebody's going to make T-shirts saying: "Rick James is dead, bitch."

This shit is really scary, I was listening to his anthology album last night while cooking supper right after I posted that interview thread.

I'm hurt, but for it to appear on CNN's website it unfortunately has to be true. I'm numb as hell. Rick was my motherfucka & I'm trying really not to cry, I just can't believe this shit. I was waiting 4 him to drop a new cd, this is just too much, What's going on, it seems like folks are dropping like flies.

****

Rick James Found Dead

Funk legend Rick James was found dead today at 9:45 a.m. PT this morning at his Los Angeles home by a caretaker, according to a police spokesperson. He was 56. The cause of death was believed to be natural. The artist had a history of drug problems that led to poor health in recent years, including a 1998 stroke.

In addition to his own slew of pop and R&B hits, such as "Super Freak (Part 1)," "You and I" and "Mary Jane," James wrote and produced songs for the likes of Teena Marie, the Temptations and Eddie Murphy. The one-time Navy deserter fell prey to drugs, and spent time behind bars in the 1990s for assault and holding a woman against her will.

James was recently honored with the Heritage Award from performing arts society ASCAP. Prior to the ceremony, he told Billboard he was planning to release a 30-song double-CD on his Sony/RED-distributed label, Ma Records.

"God sat me down to pay attention," James said about the stroke. "Then he told me to get back up and hit the stage, and I'm enjoying it."

James also claimed he was ready to retire from the music business "to do something more spiritual." His daughter Ty, a rapper, is recording and negotiating a deal for her own solo album.

The artist roared back into the public consciousness earlier this year thanks to a series of hilarious, oft-quoted sketches on Comedy Central's "Chapelle's Show." The show's host/creator, Dave Chappelle, was in early talks to star as James in a film based on his upcoming autobiography, "Memoirs of a Super Freak."

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

JANFAN4L said:

i was thinkin the same thing! better yet, i hope the whole "i'm rick james, bitch"-catchphrase mania dies along with 'im. but i doubt it.

The Super Freak is gone R.P.I.


http://www.canoe.ca/JamMu...es-ap.html

...next thing you know, Puffy will be at the next major music awards show wearing a black T-shirt with "Rick James" on it in big white letters.

When I was hunting around for a picture to post and some clever tagline to incorporate the "I'm Rick James bitch!" line into, this picture came up.


Rick and his son Tazman

It made me stop and forget about Rick's stage persona or personal problems and remember that when the lights go down, he's just a human being like the rest of us.

Thanks for the music, what it should be all about anyway.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm
[This message was edited Fri Aug 6 13:01:59 2004 by theAudience]
[This message was edited Fri Aug 6 13:54:57 2004 by theAudience]