RIP I used to watch ST as a kid. So sad RIP.

kitbradley said:

Don Cornelius Remembered by Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle

Soul Train fans and music legends alike mourned the loss of the show's creator, Don Cornelius, on Wednesday.

"It's just so sad, stunning and downright shocking ... a huge and momentous loss to the African-American community and the world at large," the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, said in a statement.

"Don Cornelius single handedly brought about a melding and unity of brother and sisterhood among young adults worldwide and globally with the unforgettable creation of Soul Train."

Legendary singer Patti LaBelle called Cornelius, "simply a genius, and the contributions he made to music and our culture are second to none. I will always treasure the fond memories I have of working with Don over the years and being part of the history that he created through Soul Train.

"He will truly be missed and my heart and prayers go out to his family," added LaBelle in her statement.

Cornelius was found dead Wednesday morning in his California home at age 75. His death was the result of "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," L.A. Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter told PEOPLE. "An investigation is ongoing."

http://www.people.com/peo...42,00.html

2elijah said:

http://www.nytimes.com/20...at-75.html

Don Cornelius, ‘Soul Train’ Creator, Is Dead

Don Cornelius, the producer and television host who created the television dance show “Soul Train,” was found shot dead in his Los Angeles home on Wednesday morning, and detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department were looking trying to determine if his death was a suicide.

Enlarge This Image

A person at the producer’s house on Mulholland Drive in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood called the police and reported shots had been fired just before 4 a.m., a police spokesman, Chris No, said. When officers arrived, they were let into the house and found Mr. Cornelius lying lifeless on the floor. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 75 years old.

“We don’t know if he committed suicide,” Mr. No said. “It’s still under investigation.”

“Soul Train” was one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history and played a critical role in spreading the music of black America to the world, offering wide exposure to musicians such as James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson in the 1970s and 1980s.

“I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague and business partner Don Cornelius,” said Quincy Jones, according to the Associated Press. “Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was ‘Soul Train.’ That will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don’s family and loved ones.”

To read more, click on above link

[Edited 2/1/12 8:30am]

Wait! According to this story, he wasn't alone. So how can they say so quickly that it was suicide? Maybe the killer is the one who called 911 and let the police in.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:18am]

O'Bryan was his boy toy. That's no secret. He and O'bryan had a falling out and from what I heard, Don threatend him and blackballed him from the music industry. There maybe some truth to this, as O'Bryan never recorded or has performed ever again. Not even the R&B old school shows. He even sang the theme to Soul Train back in 83. Gotta Give Head and Get Ahead!!

The Gigolo

Arranged By [Rhythm] – O'Bryan Burnette II*Backing Vocals – Don Cornelius, O'Bryan Burnette II*Clavinet – O'Bryan Burnette II*Drums – Melvin WebbElectric Guitar – Johnny McGheePercussion – Paulinho DaCosta*Synthesizer – Greg PhillinganesSynthesizer [Bass] – Jack PerryWritten-By – D. Cornelius*, O'Bryan Burnette II*

[Edited 2/1/12 10:24am]

G3000 said:

O'Bryan was his boy toy. That's no secret. He and O'bryan had a falling out and from what I heard, Don threatend him and blackballed him from the music industry. There maybe some truth to this, as O'Bryan never recorded or has performed ever again. Not even the R&B old school shows.

Old news.

G3000 said:

O'Bryan was his boy toy. That's no secret. He and O'bryan had a falling out and from what I heard, Don threatend him and blackballed him from the music industry. There maybe some truth to this, as O'Bryan never recorded or has performed ever again. Not even the R&B old school shows. He even sang the theme to Soul Train back in 83. Gotta Give Head and Get Ahead!!

The Gigolo

Arranged By [Rhythm] – O'Bryan Burnette II*Backing Vocals – Don Cornelius, O'Bryan Burnette II*Clavinet – O'Bryan Burnette II*Drums – Melvin WebbElectric Guitar – Johnny McGheePercussion – Paulinho DaCosta*Synthesizer – Greg PhillinganesSynthesizer [Bass] – Jack PerryWritten-By – D. Cornelius*, O'Bryan Burnette II*

[Edited 2/1/12 10:24am]

Say Whaaaaat? I heard some rumors about Don Cornelius possibly being DL.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:29am]

PDogz said:

G3000 said:

O'Bryan was his boy toy. That's no secret. He and O'bryan had a falling out and from what I heard, Don threatend him and blackballed him from the music industry. There maybe some truth to this, as O'Bryan never recorded or has performed ever again. Not even the R&B old school shows.

Old news.

Y'all gotta fill me in on this one....I didnt know about that.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:30am]

I don't quite know how to react to this.

RIP but if that's not the shittiest way to leave this earth. Not dismissing him or anything but, what?

Girl4both said:

PDogz said:

Old news.

Y'all gotta fill me in on this one....I didnt know about that.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:30am]

YOU KNOW HIS PHONE IS BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW!!! IS HE A SUSPECT??

O'Bryan (Born O'Bryan Burnette II in September 10, 1961 in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina) was known as a singer, dancer, songwriter, and producer that managed to cut up to nine singles that made the Billboard R&B top 40 throughout the first half of the 1980s, as well as record four full-length albums for Capitol Records. He also known for making the theme song for the popular urban music performance show Soul Train in the early 1980s.

O'Bryan got into the business after a female friend (whom he met in the choir that he sang in with as a young adult in Southern California) married Ron Kersey. Kersey who had worked in Philadelphia with music groups such as the Trammps in the 1970's, was looking for members for a new group he was forming. Kersey accepted O'Bryan into a group. The group quickly fell apart, but Kersey introduced O'Bryan to Soul Train impresario Don Cornelius,who helped O'Bryan land a deal with Capitol Records in 1981. He also was chosen to perform the theme song for Soul Train called "Soul Train's a Comin'" in 1983 which was used in the introduction sequence from 1983 to 1987.

O'Bryan began recording tracks for Capitol and finally released his debut effort Doin' Alright in 1982. As a multi-instrumentalist, his uptempo tracks resembled the tracks produced by the mainstream Prince, though he treads far closer to the urban contemporary mainstream on ballads such "Slow Jams." Although he had similarities in music to African-American R&B pop stars such as the early solo Michael Jackson and Prince, his music was considered "too black" by many listeners and felt he could not experience the crossover success his popular counterparts did. His first album's biggest track and hit, 'The Gigolo,' made number five on the R&B top 40 and but only scraped the bottom of Billboard top 50.

After experiencing more than moderate success in the African-American soul and funk music circuit as well light success in the popular music front, he quickly released his second album You and I in 1983. Although it was considered by some fans not as 'soulful' and 'classic' as his debut album, it still managed to produce and Be My Lover in 1984 which included the hit "Lovelite," which the video music included former Penthouse pet Monique Gabrielle as a topless dancer in a power plant.

He released his fourth and final album album on Capitol called Surrender in 1986 which spawned the signature latter-mid 80s dance soul hit "Tenderoni", which reached the R&B Billboard top 40 and was considered a club hit in early 1987. He hasn’t released any new material since then.

It has always been an unsubstantiated rumor that O’Bryan and Don Cornelius had a falling out and his career was blackballed from the point on.

O’Bryan reportedly lives in the Midwest and allegedly works in retail. He shares custody of a teenaged daughter with a black model.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:41am]

G3000 said:

It seemed judging from the last years of his life, Don Cornelius had a lot of demons. Lest not we forget he was charged with domestic battery about four years ago. And he wanted to leave his wife. Apparently they were still married when he allegedly pulled the trigger that ended his life. Don't ever assume because someone acts the way he did that he lived a life of leisure. Brother had demons. I guess he couldn't take it anymore but it's crazy how you never know how celebrities feel about their own lives despite the joy they gave to others as Don had for three decades.

This guy is a "Legend"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And he will be missed!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O'Bryan

According to wikipedia, O'Bryan released an album in 07.

I wonder how he feels about this whole situation.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:46am]

G3000 said:

Girl4both said:

Y'all gotta fill me in on this one....I didnt know about that.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:30am]

YOU KNOW HIS PHONE IS BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW!!! IS HE A SUSPECT??

O'Bryan (Born O'Bryan Burnette II in September 10, 1961 in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina) was known as a singer, dancer, songwriter, and producer that managed to cut up to nine singles that made the Billboard R&B top 40 throughout the first half of the 1980s, as well as record four full-length albums for Capitol Records. He also known for making the theme song for the popular urban music performance show Soul Train in the early 1980s.

O'Bryan got into the business after a female friend (whom he met in the choir that he sang in with as a young adult in Southern California) married Ron Kersey. Kersey who had worked in Philadelphia with music groups such as the Trammps in the 1970's, was looking for members for a new group he was forming. Kersey accepted O'Bryan into a group. The group quickly fell apart, but Kersey introduced O'Bryan to Soul Train impresario Don Cornelius,who helped O'Bryan land a deal with Capitol Records in 1981. He also was chosen to perform the theme song for Soul Train called "Soul Train's a Comin'" in 1983 which was used in the introduction sequence from 1983 to 1987.

O'Bryan began recording tracks for Capitol and finally released his debut effort Doin' Alright in 1982. As a multi-instrumentalist, his uptempo tracks resembled the tracks produced by the mainstream Prince, though he treads far closer to the urban contemporary mainstream on ballads such "Slow Jams." Although he had similarities in music to African-American R&B pop stars such as the early solo Michael Jackson and Prince, his music was considered "too black" by many listeners and felt he could not experience the crossover success his popular counterparts did. His first album's biggest track and hit, 'The Gigolo,' made number five on the R&B top 40 and but only scraped the bottom of Billboard top 50.

After experiencing more than moderate success in the African-American soul and funk music circuit as well light success in the popular music front, he quickly released his second album You and I in 1983. Although it was considered by some fans not as 'soulful' and 'classic' as his debut album, it still managed to produce and Be My Lover in 1984 which included the hit "Lovelite," which the video music included former Penthouse pet Monique Gabrielle as a topless dancer in a power plant.

He released his fourth and final album album on Capitol called Surrender in 1986 which spawned the signature latter-mid 80s dance soul hit "Tenderoni", which reached the R&B Billboard top 40 and was considered a club hit in early 1987. He hasn’t released any new material since then.

It has always been an unsubstantiated rumor that O’Bryan and Don Cornelius had a falling out and his career was blackballed from the point on.

O’Bryan reportedly lives in the Midwest and allegedly works in retail. He shares custody of a teenaged daughter with a black model.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:41am]

Thank you!

Girl4both said:

G3000 said:

YOU KNOW HIS PHONE IS BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW!!! IS HE A SUSPECT??

O'Bryan (Born O'Bryan Burnette II in September 10, 1961 in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina) was known as a singer, dancer, songwriter, and producer that managed to cut up to nine singles that made the Billboard R&B top 40 throughout the first half of the 1980s, as well as record four full-length albums for Capitol Records. He also known for making the theme song for the popular urban music performance show Soul Train in the early 1980s.

O'Bryan got into the business after a female friend (whom he met in the choir that he sang in with as a young adult in Southern California) married Ron Kersey. Kersey who had worked in Philadelphia with music groups such as the Trammps in the 1970's, was looking for members for a new group he was forming. Kersey accepted O'Bryan into a group. The group quickly fell apart, but Kersey introduced O'Bryan to Soul Train impresario Don Cornelius,who helped O'Bryan land a deal with Capitol Records in 1981. He also was chosen to perform the theme song for Soul Train called "Soul Train's a Comin'" in 1983 which was used in the introduction sequence from 1983 to 1987.

O'Bryan began recording tracks for Capitol and finally released his debut effort Doin' Alright in 1982. As a multi-instrumentalist, his uptempo tracks resembled the tracks produced by the mainstream Prince, though he treads far closer to the urban contemporary mainstream on ballads such "Slow Jams." Although he had similarities in music to African-American R&B pop stars such as the early solo Michael Jackson and Prince, his music was considered "too black" by many listeners and felt he could not experience the crossover success his popular counterparts did. His first album's biggest track and hit, 'The Gigolo,' made number five on the R&B top 40 and but only scraped the bottom of Billboard top 50.

After experiencing more than moderate success in the African-American soul and funk music circuit as well light success in the popular music front, he quickly released his second album You and I in 1983. Although it was considered by some fans not as 'soulful' and 'classic' as his debut album, it still managed to produce and Be My Lover in 1984 which included the hit "Lovelite," which the video music included former Penthouse pet Monique Gabrielle as a topless dancer in a power plant.

He released his fourth and final album album on Capitol called Surrender in 1986 which spawned the signature latter-mid 80s dance soul hit "Tenderoni", which reached the R&B Billboard top 40 and was considered a club hit in early 1987. He hasn’t released any new material since then.

It has always been an unsubstantiated rumor that O’Bryan and Don Cornelius had a falling out and his career was blackballed from the point on.

O’Bryan reportedly lives in the Midwest and allegedly works in retail. He shares custody of a teenaged daughter with a black model.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:41am]

Thank you!

You don't just blackball someone like that. Sounds like a lovers quarrel.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:51am]

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

G3000 said:

Girl4both said:

Thank you!

You don't just blackball someone like that. Sounds like a lover quarrel.

Very true. O'Bryan was really a cutie pie.

Timmy84 said:

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

He suffered from a stroke.

Timmy84 said:

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

Yeah, I was thinking to myself when I was watching: 'the ramblings of an old man. Something did seem a little off about the whole thing'.

G3000 said:

Timmy84 said:

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

He suffered from a stroke.

Yeah I know. But he could've also had other issues. I guess the autopsy would tell us what else he was suffering with. He also may have had depression. Depression is actually a sickness.

[Edited 2/1/12 10:58am]

Girl4both said:

Timmy84 said:

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

Yeah, I was thinking to myself when I was watching: 'the ramblings of an old man. Something did seem a little off about the whole thing'.

As was said, he did suffer a stroke a year before (I think). So yeah.

Timmy84 said:

nursev said:

Timmy84 said:

It seemed judging from the last years of his life, Don Cornelius had a lot of demons. Lest not we forget he was charged with domestic battery about four years ago. And he wanted to leave his wife. Apparently they were still married when he allegedly pulled the trigger that ended his life. Don't ever assume because someone acts the way he did that he lived a life of leisure. Brother had demons. I guess he couldn't take it anymore but it's crazy how you never know how celebrities feel about their own lives despite the joy they gave to others as Don had for three decades.

Agreed-it was apparent that he had some demons-something wasn't right.

I don't wanna assume but I think it started when he decided to leave his hosting duties on Soul Train. It's also possible his brain surgery in 1983 may have started a downward spiral. I think he had a brain aneurysm and he almost died then too.

G3000 said:

Timmy84 said:

The last time Don was in public was, I think, about two (or three) years ago. When the O'Jays got their Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards and he just kept dragging on. You could tell this was not the same man who smoothly told you that "you can bet your last money, it's gonna be a stone gas, honey." I was thinking even then when I saw him on BET that he must've been really sick.

He suffered from a stroke.

Oh then that explains. I'm sorry that he took his own life.

I guess he finally bet his last money. Sad ending to a life that brought so much to so many.

RIP Don.

I used to watch the original Soul Train after I got home from school everyday in Chicago. It started out as a diddly little show with no guests, pretty much zero sets and the kids just came in the clothes they wore to school that day too. I don't know if the show was in color or not back then because we still had a black and white TV

'Soul Train' Host Don Cornelius Dies in Apparent Suicide

By Steve Jones, USA TODAYUpdated 37m ago

Don Cornelius conducted us on the "hippest trip in America" for more than two decades on Soul Train, and in the process shone a light on R&B stars that mostly performed in the shadows of the mainstream. At the same time, he invited the nation to a multicultural, cross-generational dance party that was broadcast into living rooms every Saturday morning.

With his smooth, resonant baritone, Cornelius introduced hundreds of stars to the TV audience, including Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, James Brown, Jerry Butler, Marvin Gaye, The O'Jays and Barry White, while overseeing a colorful menagerie of partiers who influenced dance and fashion. It opened a window to African-American culture that had received scant media exposure.

"Back then, there was no targeted television and I just had the sense that television shouldn't be that way," Cornelius told USA TODAY in a rare interview in 2010, when the show's 40th anniversary was celebrated with a VH1 documentary. "The primary mission of the show was to provide TV exposure for people who would not get it otherwise. People who didn't get invited to The Mike Douglas Show, or (Johnny) Carson. There was no ethnic television, just general-market television, which meant mostly white people."

The pioneering media mogul, 75, was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home Wednesday morning. He was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 4:56 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

"I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius," said Quincy Jones in a statement. "Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV, there was Soul Train, that will be (his) great legacy. … His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched. My heart goes out to Don's family and loved ones."

The Rev. Al Sharpton said he was shocked and grief-stricken.

"I have known him since I was 19 years old and James Brown had me speak on Soul Train," Sharpton said in a statement from New York. "He brought soul music and dance to the world in a way that it had never been shown and he was a cultural game changer on a global level."

Cornelius developed his brainchild while working as a journalist and DJ in Chicago. Soul Train started in 1970 as a daily after-school dance show on WCIU and it was supported by such local acts as Curtis Mayfield and The Chi-Lites. The show was sponsored by Johnson Products, makers of Afro Sheen, and with owner George Johnson's help, Cornelius was able to move production to Los Angeles for the weekly syndicated show that premiered in 1971. Stations skeptical of the unproven series were won over when Gladys Knight agreed to do the pilot. Other artists were quick to jump on board.

Cornelius would host the show until 1993. The Train stayed on the tracks for another 13 years with assorted hosts. By the time he sold it to MadVision Entertainment in 2008, he had created an empire that included the Soul Train Music Awards and the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.

The show, the longest running, first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history, was rife with iconic elements. There was the Soul Train line in which pairs of dancers popped creative dance moves and flashed outrageous fashions on their way down. The Scrabble Board gave two dancers 60 seconds to unscramble the name of a notable African-American entertainer or historical figure.

The dancers became stars in their own right and created moves such as locking, roboting and waacking (later known as voguing) that would be replicated at clubs and parties around the world. Singer Jody Watley and dance partner Jeffrey Daniels, who would become part of the hit-making trio Shalamar, got their start on the show. (Daniels' "backslide" step is credited with influencing Michael Jackson's moonwalk.) So did Rosie Perez (Pineapple Express) and Fred "Rerun" Berry (What's Happening!!).

When it was time to go, the host always reassured viewers with his signature sign-off: "And you can bet your last money, it's all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!"

Let's see Don shake a leg!

RIP

I have no interest in what his demons were. This is a sad day and he will be missed. Fortunately, he won't be forgotten and his efforts in promoting good music will always be appreciated. I choose to remember him being dared to walk the line on his show and dancing his ass off even doing a split at the end.

R.I.P. bro.

[Edited 2/1/12 11:04am]

Girl4both said:

O'Bryan released an album in 07.

I wonder how he feels about this whole situation.

O'Bryan had a myspace page with his current recordings on it. I don't know if it's still up.