Gregory Hines, 57, Dies



Gregory Hines, 57, who won international acclaim as an exuberant and charming tap dancer, choreographer and actor, died Aug. 9 in Los Angeles. He had cancer.



Mr. Hines, who had performed on stage since childhood, was largely credited with reviving interest in tap dance for a generation weaned on rock and roll. His improvisational footwork dazzled, his smile was boyishly radiant and his stage persona as a sleepy-eyed sharpie added to his comic allure on film, television and, most notably, Broadway.

He worked closely with some of the greatest figures in dance, including Mikhail Baryshnikov. (Mr. Hines called him "Mike" Baryshnikov.) And he was a mentor in the 1980s to the teenage tap-dancing sensation Savion Glover; they starred together in the film "Tap" (1989).

R.I.P.

I never knew he had cancer. (from the report I read)
We have lost a truly talented dancer/performer.
Rest in Peace Gregory!

Sad Day, Sad Day.

Hail the man with the golden feet.

it's just not fair

that's sad news... a GREAT dancer

WHOA, that's a guy I just never thought of as being a mere mortal. It seemed like he was always around, always would be, and he never really seemed to age, either.

That's really sad. RIP

I used to be told constantly that I looked like him...

Rest peacefully, Mr. Hines...

Anxiety said:

That's exactly how i feel. I'm in shock.

at such a young age

Tap Star Gregory Hines Dies

by Bridget Byrne
Aug 10, 2003, 2:24 PM PT

Gregory Hines, whose incomparable grace and easy charm make him the greatest tap dancer of his generation, died Saturday in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 57.

Elegant in appearance, manner and personality, Hines won the Best Actor Tony in 1992 for Jelly's Last Jam, the musical play about jazz legend "Jelly Roll" Morton.

"His dancing came from something very real," Bernadette Peters, who co-hosted the 2002 Tony Awards with Hines, told the Associated Press. "It came out of his instincts, his impulses and his amazing creativity. His whole heart and soul went into everything he did."

Hines' film roles included the drama about dancers in peril in Russia, White Nights, with another great hoofer Mikhail Baryshnikov, the jazz era gangster story The Cotton Club, with Richard Gere, the feminist drama Waiting to Exhale, with Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, and the cop comedy Running Scared, with Billy Crystal. In 1997 he also starred in his own TV sitcom The Gregory Hines Show, as a single dad raising a son, He had a recurring role on Will & Grace and starred in the TV docudrama Bojangles, which won him one of this two NAACP Image awards. He also appeared in numerous dance and musical related specials including Gregory Hines: Tap Dance in America on PBS in 1989. He won a Daytime Emmy as the voice of Big Bill, in Bill Cosby's animated series.

Despite his many acting credits, it was as a dancer that Hines was truly a star. Fast or slow, smooth or snazzy, he moved with evocative perfection. It was a talent he was born with, a way of life he was encouraged to pursue by his mother, Alma, who saw performing as a ticket of the ghetto for him and his older brother Maurice.

Born on Feb. 14, 1946, in New York City, Hines took lessons as toddler. By the time he was six he and his brother were performing jazz tap at Harlem's Apollo Theater and soon after joined the cast of the Broadway musical The Girl in Pink Tights. In their teens the brothers, joined by their father, Maurice, Sr. on drums, were billed as Hines, Hines and Dad. Although estranged for a time in the '60s, when Gregory briefly stepped away from the dance scene, the brothers reconciled and later performed together in both Eubie, a homage to composer Eubie Blake, and Sophisticated Ladies, a revue of Duke Ellington's songs, both of which earned Tony nominations for Gregory.

"I don't remember not dancing," Hines said in a 2001 interview with The Associated Press. "When I realized I was alive and these were my parents, and I could walk and talk, I could dance.

Hines says he was influenced by the style and talents of Sammy Davis, Jr. the Nicholas Brothers and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Critics often compared his easy artistry to the equally incomparable Fred Astaire.

Following the announcement Sunday by publicist Allen Eichhorn of Hines' passing, the Associated Press also quoted George C. Wolfe who directed Jelly's Last Jam, saying Hines "was the last of a kind of immaculate performer - a singer, dancer, actor and a personality. He knew how to command."

Twice married, Hines, is survived by his fiancee Negrita Jayde, his daughter, Dana, son Zach, stepdaughter Jessica Koslow, grandson Lucian, as well as his brother and father.
[This message was edited Sun Aug 10 17:58:17 PDT 2003 by loveuniverse]

gone so soon

a great man

a great talent

hopefully, savion glover

and mya will put

together an awesome

tap tribute 4 the man

rest in peace, brother

Too Bad.Death Sucks !!!

Safireseven said:

i was speechless when i saw it on the news today. so handsome and so talented. RIP gregory hines...

I always liked Gregory Hines. He was a creative "hoofer" but a genuine soul. Sorry to hear of his death.
Thanks for sharing this.

I loved him in "The Cotton Club".

Definitely taken before his time.

R.I.P

'dre

He will be missed.

Oh my god! I didn't know he had cancer.
Rest in peace.

What a wonderful talent. He'll be missed.

My, God, no! I love Gregory... this is such terrible news. I am saddened... I pray Heaven exists- he belongs there.


[This message was edited Sun Aug 10 20:30:44 PDT 2003 by INSATIABLE]

he was a great talent and he inspired many... he will be greatly missed...



Much luv,

KD

i had NO IDEA...

man...thats so sad...he was great...


:HUG: to his family



for him...

loveuniverse said:

that is sooo sad...

That's real sad... God bless the person he was... He broke down barriers for so many up and coming people, not just across color lines but across the board... He was a a very cool person and will be missed...

Moment of silence...

I'm just now finding THIS out. I'm shocked to hear this.
I always enjoyed his dancing. I love the track he did with Luther "There's Nothing Better Than Love" from Luther's Give Me The Reason album.

Gregory Hines R.I.P
[This message was edited Mon Aug 11 4:09:17 PDT 2003 by BRO915]

Condolences 2 The Hines Family... Mr. hines u were "The Funk"...

Thank U 4 all the Entertaining u've given me & my Fam over the years... This TAP is 4 u...

badi-a, badi-a...

Gregory Hines was an amazing talent. I'd always admired the way he danced which was very expressive and free yet you could always see the technical mastery he had over his art. I'll miss him.