I saw a comment on David Eye's "Beat Street" appreciation thread about Gene Anthony Ray from "Fame" and I was looking for a picture to post to show how bad he looked the last time I saw him a couple of years ago on VH1. This is what I found from another web site:

November 20, 2003
Gene Anthony Ray
Gene Anthony Ray, a New York City dancer and actor who achieved worldwide stardom in the TV show, "Fame," died on Nov. 14 from complications of a stroke. He was 41.

Although Ray had never taken a dance class, choreographer Louis Falco cast him in the 1980 film, "Fame." Falco also encouraged Ray to attend the real High School of the Performing Arts. Ray spent a year at the school before dropping out.

In 1982, Ray landed the role of class rebel Leroy in the TV version of "Fame." He was one of two actors to work on the series for its entire six-season run. When the show was canceled, Ray had trouble finding work. He appeared in two movies, but his addictions to drugs and alcohol eventually wiped out the fortune he'd earned from "Fame."

Ray's final project was the unaired BBC documentary, "Fame Remember My Name."


Is this true? Has anyone else heard of this?

Yeah,he died awhile back.

Yes, he did pass away about two years ago.

Yes, I read it in the newspaper back then.

Yup, unfortunately it's true. He was one feirce dancer! I never realised he'd never taken a class before. That's insane!

Yup. Leroy. Dead. Sad.

vainandy said:

Yes, this is true. I wish they would've air the BBC special b/c this show menat alot to me since I was dancer. I always admired his dancing style. It's a shame that he passed away from AIDS.

Did y'all know he was gay? I always heard he was when he was alive.

OnionJuice said:

Oh yes. It's like common knowledge.

vainandy said:

Sad but true.

BTW, it was Gene who first made cornrolls popular!!!

TonyVanDam said:

I gotta disagree...Stevie Wonder & so many other entertainers were rockin' the cornrows LONG before him.

No matter how much talent we have, no matter how much adulation and praise we receive, drug and alcohol abuse can be a harsh reminder of how fragile we are.

Hotlegs said:

When he passed I read that he was HIV positive, but it never turned to full blown AIDS. They said he died from complications from his stroke he had six months prior, but I have to agree with the orger who started the tread, he did look sickly on the VH1's Where are they now and it did make me wonder did he die from complications from a stroke or AIDS?

So true. It's a shame what became of him a few years ago. I saw him on VH1 and he was living somewhere overseas. He was working as a male stripper in gay clubs under his stage name "Leroy". He used to be such a handsome man but he had lost a lot of weight, was wearing a long braided weave, and was walking the street in those damn leotard tights. He looked like a big rooster.

Someone blew their car horn at him and he was bent over talking through the window. He looked like he had been turning tricks. In another clip, he looked absolutely horrible and he was bleeding. He was raising hell because someone had just beat him up in the street.

I wouldn't doubt that because he looked absolutely horrible the last time I saw him. He was a hell of a dancer. I read somewhere that he got his start with Alvin Ailey.

vainandy said:

Yeah, I remember seeing some of that, too.
A major advertisement for steering clear of drugs and all the trouble that goes with them.

One of my sisters was really in love with this guy back in the day. The only reason she would flock to the tv when the Beat It video was on was to spot "Leroy". Oh, and to see MJ, too.

vainandy said:

That sounds absolutely horrible. How sad and disturbing. I do remember seeing him years ago on something else and he wasn't looking too good. What a shame.

Adisa said:

Uh I don't mean to bust your bubble, but Leroy(Gene Antony Ray) was NOT in the Beat It video. I think you're talking about either Stony Jackson or Michael DeLorenzo from New York Undercover. Remember he had a small cameo appearance in Fame and on the tv show he had guest spots on several episodes as one of Lydia's dance students and he also was several other films before landing NYU.

TurnItUp said:

Not busting my bubble at all. It's a little known fact that Gene is in the video, as well as Michael DeLorenzo and Stoney Jackson. Look for him next time you get an opportunity.

PAPAROBBIE said:

You're right, Stevie did it first.

But Gene promote it in a sitcon.

he was also in Eddie with Whoopi Goldberg

Not long before he passed, Gene did commentary for the Fame movie dvd when it was finally released. The commentary is with branching video, meaning they had a camera on Gene as he was making his comments while watching the movie. That's just in case any of you want to see how he looked within the last year before his death.

R.I.P Gene

TonyVanDam said:

cornrolls been around forever....

Adisa said:

I just dug out my HIStory On Film Volume II dvd, checked out the Beat It video. No Gene Anthony Ray, at all.

Keep looking. Just don't be looking for the obvious hair do cuz dude's wearing a hat.

vashti1999 said:

Thank You. That's just what I thought, I've seen that video I don't know how many times and ain't never noticed no Leroy from Fame.

Another know it all. There's just too many of them goin around right now.

vashti1999 said:

He looked very very bad too. I remember watching him on one of those shows on VH1 around spring 2003. He was working as a stripper/dancer in Europe or something. They showed him walking the streets of the city posting flyers for his show. He was saying how when he was growing up, everybody thought he had a nice ass and how they could see him naked for a fee at one of these seedy gigs he was performing at. He looked very thin and sick. He looked like a junkie. I was so sad to see that. I couldnt stop thinking about it for a week. God rest his soul.

dreamfactory313 said:

I think that was a Where Are They Now Special Fame. It was pretty sad. Gene was definitely a hell of a dancer. I used to love watching him on Fame. Him and Debbie Allen definitely were influential on me as a dancer growing up b/c I loved their dance style. It's a shame that he let his appetite for sex drugs drag him down. R.I.P. GENE

Gene is NOT in Beat It. His good friend Michael Delorenzo is. Gene has had to deny this one on several occasions.

The BBC documentry did screen. It was great, although Gene looked very ill. It was worth it for "Starmaker" alone!.

Gene was working as a Dancer in Italy from 1997-2003.