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Emmy-winning and beloved stage and film actor Ron Cephas Jones, has passed away. He was just 66.
On Saturday (Aug. 20) Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, issued a statement announcing the renowned Black actor’s death due to A “long-standing pulmonary issue.” In 2021, the New York Times reported that he had a double lung transplant due to a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”
“Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” reads the statement. “He began his career at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and his love for the stage was present throughout his entire career, including his recent Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning performance for his role in Clyde’s on Broadway. Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us.”
An accomplished actor, Jones’ most recent acclaim came via his role as William “Shakespeare” Hill on This Is Us, for which he won a pair of Emmy Awards for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Along with his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, they made history as the first father-son duo to both win Emmys in the same year in 2020. Be sure to check him out Marvel’s Luke Cage (and Paid In Full), too.
“Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us,” said actor Sterling K. Brown on an Instagram post honoring his co-star. “@cephasjaz has passed away, and the world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I’ll see you when I get there.”
Rest in power Cephas Jones. See some of the tributes to his passing in the gallery from fellow thespians like Wendell Pierce, Michael Colter and more in the gallery.
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Rapper Melvin “Magoo” Barcliff of Timbaland & Magoo fame has passed away. He was 50 years old.
Magoo’s cause of death remains undisclosed. Digital Black of the group Playa took to Instagram to confirm his friend’s passing on Sunday (August 13). They both are members of the Bassment Crew and Superfriendz group of creatives.
Hailing from Norfolk, VA, Timbaland & Magoo would drop several albums, including their debut, Welcome To Our World, which had the hits “Up Jumps Da Boogie” and “Luv 2 Luv Ya (Remix).” With Missy Elliott, Ginuwine, Aaliyah and Timbaland, Magoo was party of some of Hip-Hop’s most innovative sounds in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.
“I don’t even know how to say anything at this point , I have lost 3 friends now within a month to LIFE and it’s due date ….this dude , always pushed me …I will mis you maganooo that’s what we called him,” said singer and friend Ginuwine in a tribute post.
Rest in power Magoo. See social media reactions to Magoo’s untimely passing in the gallery.
This story is developing.
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Paul Reubens, the actor that became a cultural icon thanks to his Pee-wee Herman character, passed away over the weekend.
On Monday (July 31st), social media accounts for the actor announced his passing. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit,” the caption read.
A short time later, another personal statement from the comedian and writer was released. “Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” it read. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans, and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Born in Peekskill, New York, Reubens skyrocketed to fame after being passed over for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s after creating “The Pee-wee Herman Show” at Los Angeles’ Groundling Theater. The show featured Pee-wee in a signature gray suit and red bow tie (which he found backstage at the theater) living in Puppet-Land with all his friends.
His mastery of the character’s world, merging reality and fiction, led to him being booked for his first feature film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, in 1985. That film, which was also Tim Burton’s directorial debut, was a smash success leading him to star in the CBS children’s program Pee-wee’s Playhouse which ran from 1986 to 1991. The immersive dreamscape-like show featured many well-known actors from Laurence Fishburne to the late Phil Hartman.
Towards the end of the show’s run, Reubens would encounter scandal after being arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Florida. His career took a major hit, but Reubens would make notable appearances in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Batman Returns. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw him stay the course with appearances on TV shows and a strong turn in 2001’s Blow with Johnny Depp as a gay drug-dealing hairdresser.
Reubens would bring Pee-wee back in 2010 in stage shows in New York and Los Angeles, and six years later he’d do a Netflix special, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, produced by Judd Apatow. In the wake of his passing, many have offered their own tributes and recollections of the comedian. Conan O’Brien wrote on Twitter: “His surreal comedy and unrelenting kindness were a gift to us all. Damn, this hurts.”
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The untimely passing of De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove is still reverberating throughout the Hip-Hop community. To honor their dear friend and co-founder’s charmed life, De La’s Pos and Mase have announced The DA.I.S.Y. Experience, which will go down in New York City at Webster Hall on Thursday, March 2.
The DA.I.S.Y. Experience will “celebrate the life and legacy of the late David “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur and the influence and impact of De La Soul” per an announcement from the group
De La fans will surely be familiar with “Da Inner Sound Y’all” that the DA.I.S.Y. acronym stems from. Touted as an “immersive activation” Webster Hall will be transformed into a De La destination utilizing artwork from the group’s seminal debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. The following day (March 3), the Long Island trio’s music (that was issued on Tommy Boy) will finally hit streaming services.
The DA.I.S.Y. Experience is produced in conjunction with Amazon Music. Handling the evening’s sounds will be The Originals; DJ’s Stretch Armstrong, Clark Kent, Rich Medina, and Tony Touch—who will curate sets in homage to De La Soul. Expect plenty of rare grooves and breaks that group sampled over the years.
If you can’t make it, fans will be able to watch the set on Maseo’s Twitch Channel starting at 8 p.m. ET. Posdnuos and Maseo will be in the building to honor Dave and you can RSVP to the free event here: thedaisyexperience.com.
Source: David Corio / Getty
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The passing of Dave aka Trugoy The Dove was a gut punch to fans of De La Soul. Fellow group members and “brothers” Posdnous and Maseo took to social media to express how much Plug Two meant to their global following and themselves personally.
“Dear Dave, You were the heart of our group,” wrote Pos on Instagram. “You brought so much creativity, energy, and passion to our music, and your influence will be felt for years to come. Your passing is a great loss not only to us, but also to the entire hip-hop community. You were a true artist who used music to inspire and uplift others, and you will be deeply missed by all who knew you.”
As for P.A. Pasemaster Mase aka Plug Three, he shared similar sentiments.
“Dave – thank you so much for being in my life,” wrote Maseo on Instagram. “Although you and I would argue like hell, we would both admit when we were wrong and totally come full circle and say, ‘I Love You.’ I want to truly thank you for having the birds eye view of our collective vision to be a group.
Pos, Mase and Dave met in high school before connecting with Prince Paul after he heard their demon of “Plug Tunin’,” and the rest is Hip-Hop history. Perhaps most bittersweet is that De La Soul’s catalog of classic albums on Tommy Boy Records will finally hit streaming services in March.
RIP Dave.
Written By Alvin aqua Blanco , Director of Content Posted 5 mins ago @aqua174 Alvin aqua Blanco is the Director of Content in the Men’s Division for iOne Digital, steering Cassius Life and Hip-Hop Wired. Representing the Bronx, he was nurtured by a steady diet of Hip-Hop culture and music. He graduated from the University […]
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Singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of rock superstar Elvis Presley and former wife of music legend Michael Jackson, has died after being recently hospitalized. She was 54 years old.
Her mother, Priscilla Presley, confirmed her passing on Thursday evening (Jan. 12th). “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement to the press. “She was the most passionate, strong, and loving woman I have ever known.” She asked the public for privacy as she and the family are dealing with “this profound loss.”
Presley was rushed to a nearby hospital earlier that morning after paramedics were called to her Calabasas, California home after receiving a report of a woman undergoing full cardiac arrest. According to Los Angeles County spokesperson Craig Little and a representative from the fire department, CPR was performed and after it was “determined the patient had signs of life”, she was then taken to the facility.
Lisa Marie Presley’s last public appearance was at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday (Jan. 10th). She was there to support actor Austin Butler, who won Best Actor in a Motion Picture for portraying her father in Baz Luhrmann’s critically-acclaimed film. Prior to that, she had been in Memphis, Tennessee at her father’s mansion, Graceland to celebrate his birthday on Sunday (Jan. 8th).
Presley would become a singer and songwriter, releasing three studio albums with Storm and Grace being the most recent release in 2012. She also was applauded for her philanthropic efforts in and around Memphis. Presley was famously – and briefly – married to the late superstar Michael Jackson after splitting up with musician Danny Keough. They divorced after two years in 1996. She would also go on to marry Nicolas Cage for a short time and was married to guitarist Brian Lockwood. The only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie is survived by her son, actor Riley Keough and twin daughters. Her son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in 2020.
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We couldn’t make this up with we tried. Lynette Hardaway of the infamous MAGA-loving and Black self-hating duo Diamond & Silk has passed away.
It was Donald Trump himself who announced her passing via a post on his Truth Social Network.
“Really bad news for Republicans and frankly, ALL Americans. Our beautiful Diamond, of Diamond and Silk, has just passed away at her home in the State she loved so much, North Carolina,” wrote Cheeto.
For those of you who may be interested, Hardaway was Diamond.
Trump added, “Silk was with her all the way, and at her passing. There was no better TEAM anywhere, or at any time! Diamond’s death was totally unexpected, probably her big and precious HEART just plain gave out. Rest In Peace our Magnificent Diamond, you will be greatly missed!”
We’d safely bet Trump didn’t actually write that himself. About a month ago, Hardaway was hospitalized after coming down with COVID-19. Ironically, it was Diamond & Silk’s spewing of COVID-19 disinformation—they are anti-vaxxers—that got them booted from right-wing network FOX News back in 2020. So this makes Hardaway just the latest celeb or noteworthy anti-vaxxer to reportedly die from what they called a “hoax”—that being COVID-19.
Reactions to Hardaway’s passing span from indifference to potent slander. The MAGA crowd has the sads, but you can’t really trust that they have actual feelings, respectfully.
“Diamond —of the right-wing, Trump- loving duo Diamond and Silk— has died. In late November, she was hospitalized due to COVID-19. The duo was fired by Fox News a couple years ago for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines,” tweeted political activist and professor Mark Lamont Hill. “You cannot script this stuff.”
Also worth noting, the grift is already in effect.
Peep more reactions to Hardaway’s untimely passing in the gallery.
5. Allegedly.
10. Easy guess who this guy votes for.
