Filed under: HIV/AIDS
Like Annie Lennox the legendary pop singer who has worked with the United Nations on a five-year plan of action to research why women and girls are disproportionately impacted, there are a host of celebrity notables (like entertainer Sheryl Lee Ralph and world renown musicians Bono and Elton John) who continue to fight the good fight of AIDS Awareness.While HIV/AIDS is no longer a taboo topic of discussion, there were many boldfaced names who had to endure (privately and publicly) the scour of the disease and lost their lives fighting it.
In commemoration of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), BlackVoices.com takes a look at a few of the famous African-Americans who lost their battle with AIDS.
Black Stars Lost To HIV/AIDS
Black Stars Lost To HIV/AIDS
Over the past 30 years, several high-profile celebrities have succumbed to death from complications from HIV/AIDS. Their work has run the gamut of arts and culture - from sports and dance, to music and fashion. In commemoration of World AIDS Day, BlackVoices.com remembers the lasting impression of several notable African-Americans whose work has lived on through today.
Howard Rollins
Actor Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. is best-known for his Academy Award nominated performance in the film 'Ragtime.' The Baltimore native made notable appearances on television as Virgil TIbbs on 'In the Heat of the Night' and on the soap 'Another World,' which he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award before he got into trouble with the law and battled both drug habits and a myriad of legal issues. Rollins died on Dec.8, 1996.
Alvin Ailey
Famed choreographer Alvin Ailey is best known for founding the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. The New York-based modern dance troupe has become one of the most traveled in the world and is known for its signature piece 'Revelations.' Ailey died at the age of 58 years old in 1989 and on his deathbed asked his dear friend and muse Judith Jamison to run his beloved company, which she has successfully grown for the past twenty years.
Willi Smith
Though he enrolled at Parsons School of Design, Willi Donnell Smith dropped out to design his own fashion line, Williwear. The openly gay, Philadelphia native designed both wedding dresses and suits for the wedding parties of public figures like Caroline Kennedy and also dressed the cast of Spike Lee's 1987 film 'School Daze.' At the time of his death, at age 39, Williwear sold $25 million worth of clothing per year.
Kenny Greene
Kenny Greene may be remembered as the front-man for the 1990s R&B trio Intro, but he was also a notable songwriter. In addition to penning 'Reminisce' and 'Love No Limit' for Mary J. Blige, the Songwriter of the Year winner also wrote tracks for Will Smith and 98 Degrees. Before his passing, at age 32, Greene opened up to Sister 2 Sister magazine in 2001 admitting that he was suffering from AIDS and revealed he was bisexual.
Sylvester
Several famous ladies may hold the title of 'Queen of Disco,' but in the 70s none was more memorable than gay, cross-dressing vocal powerhouse born as Sylvester James. The 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' singer won three Billboard awards in 1979 and even appeared in the Bette Midler film 'The Rose' before dying in San Francisco in 1988. He was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame just one year later.
Gene Anthony Rae
The early 1980s were all about the film 'Fame' and the television series of the same name. Gene Anthony Ray played the lovable, street-smart dancer Leroy Johnson on both. The Harlem native choreographed and danced in the Whoopi Goldberg flick 'Eddie,' before suffering a stroke in 2003. He died at age 41.
Max Robinson
Max Robinson was the first African-American broadcast network news anchor in America. After breaking race barriers as a co-anchor on 'ABC News World News Tonight,' the Richmond, Virginia native worked tirelessly to get the network to portray Black Americans in an accurate light. He also founded the National Association of Black Journalists. He died Dec. 20, 1988 at age 49.
Arthur Ashe
After attending UCLA on a tennis scholarship in 1963, this Richmond, Virginia native became the first black player ever selected to the United States Davis Cup team. The former U.S. Army first lieutenant went on to win three Grand Slam titles and became the most well-known African-American tennis player of his day paving the way for future black tennis stars like Venus and Serena Williams. He worked tirelessly to bring awareness to AIDS Awareness from 1992 -- when he revealed the illness -- until his death on Feb.6, 1993.
Fela Kuti
This Nigerian singer and songwriter, who the 2010 Tony Award-nominated musical was based, created a new genre of music called Afro-beat inspired by jazz, the funk of James Brown and West African traditional music. Fela was influenced by the Black Panthers and became a political activist in his native, Nigeria, speaking out about government corruption. He also infamously married upwards to 27 women in a single ceremony in 1978.