Remembering the black personalities that have died due to the HIV virus

When basketball superstar Magic Johnson hit the headlines in 1991 with reports that he was HIV positive, many in the black community woke up to the fact that anyone one could get the virus.

It’s now 28 years since the official discovery of HIV/AIDS in 1981 and the virus has hit the black community hard including many celebrities.

To commemorate the devastating impact of AIDS we pay tribute to some of the black personalities whose lives have been sadly cut short due to the virus.

Allen Wiggins (1958 - 1991)

A once-promising major league baseball player, Allen Wiggins was an outfielder and second baseman who played in the major leagues from 1981 through 1987, with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles.

Wiggins was said to have sabotaged his career with drugs before dying at age 32 in Los Angeles of complications from AIDS.

Alvin Ailey (1931 - 1989)

A modern dancer and choreographer, Alvin Ailey founded the American Dance Theater, which was given his name after his death. His talent along with his company popularized modern dance throughout the world with his international tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The Texas native died of AIDS, at age 58 in December 1989 and his life was memorialized by the renaming of West 61st Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues in New York City. The venue is known as "Alvin Ailey Way."

Arthur Ashe (1943-1993)

Tennis legend Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., won three Grand Slam titles during his career. The Richmond, Va., native discovered he had contracted HIV from blood transfusions he received during one of his two heart surgeries. Ashe died from complications from AIDS on Feb. 6, 1993. He was 49.

Eazy E (1963 - 1995)

Eric Wright (September 7, 1963 – March 26, 1995), better known by the stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper, producer, and record executive from Compton, California. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the gangsta rap and rose to fame as a member of the group N.W.A.

Originally thinking he had bronchitis in 1995 he was later discovered that he was suffering from AIDS and died ten days later at the age of 31.

Fela Anikulapo Kuti (1938 - 1997)

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician, human rights activist, and political maverick. Dubbed as the Bob Marley of Africa, the continent's most creative Afrobeat superstar, anti-military dictatorship activist and pan-Africanist died Aug. 2, 1997 of heart failure caused by AIDS. He was 58.

Gene Anthony Ray (1962 - 2003)

Gene Ray is best known for his portrayal of the street-smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 film “Fame,” in addition to the TV spin-off – which aired from 1982 until 1987. The actor/dancer suffered a stroke in June 2003 and ultimately died from complications. The Harlem native was 41-years-old and HIV positive at the time of his death.

Howard Rollins (1950 - 1996)

Howard Rollins, starred in the box-office hit, "A Soldier's Story," which led to his role as Virgil Tibbs on the TV drama "In the Heat of the Night." The Baltimore native died on Dec. 8, 1996 age 46 after complications from AIDS-related lymphoma had been diagnosed with the condition approximately six weeks earlier.

Jermaine Stewart (1957 - 1997)

"The Word Is Out" singer Jermaine Stewart died an untimely death at 39 year-old on March 17, 1997 due to AIDS related liver cancer.

Also famed for his song "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" in 1989, which referred to the AIDS scare of the 1980s.

Kenny Greene (1969-2001)

Singer-songwriter Kenny Greene was the backbone of the early 1990s group “Intro,” writing and producing most of the group’s songs. He also wrote for other artists. He last recorded in 2001 as a backup singer on Tyrese’s "For Always." That same year, the year of his death, Green revealed to Sister 2 Sister magazine that he was bisexual, and suffering from AIDS. He was 32.

Kevin Peter Hall (1955 - 1991)

Kevin Peter Hall was an actor famous for his roles as Dr. Elvin Lincoln in Misfits of Science (1985), the 'monsters' in Prophecy (1979), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Predator (1987), and Predator 2 (1990.) Hall was frequently cast in monster roles due to his extremely tall stature- 7' 2½" however made a guest appearance on shows like Night Court and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In 1990, Hall was involved in a car accident and received a blood transfusion that was contaminated with HIV. Soon after the transfusion, he contracted AIDS and died from complications age 35.

Larry Riley (1952 - 1992)

Larry Riley was best known to screen viewers for his role as C.J. Memphis in the movie "A Soldier's Story," and as Frank Williams in the prime-time soap opera Knots Landing. He was forced to give up his role in "Knots Landing," because of his declining health due to the illness. He died age 39 of AIDS on June 6, 1992.

Max Robinson (1939 - 1988)

Max Robinson, the first African-American broadcast network news anchor in the U.S., found out he had AIDS while hospitalized for pneumonia in an Illinois hospital. In 1988, the former ABC News "World News Tonight" anchor was in Washington, D.C. to deliver a speech at Howard University's School of Journalism when he became increasingly ill. He checked himself into the hospital, where he died of AIDS on Dec. 20, 1988. He was 49.

Patrick Kelly – (1954-1990)

African-American fashion designer Patrick Kelly took Paris by storm, becoming the first American member of the Chambre Syndicale du Prêt-à-Porter (the governing body of the prestigious French ready-to-wear industry). A native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, he began by selling dresses on the street of Paris in the ‘80’s. His clothes eventually found their way to Bette Davis, Isabella Rossellini and Grace Jones who helped spotlight his style. He died New Year’s Day, 1990 of suspected AIDS.

Sylvester James (1947 - 1988)

Sylvester James, known as the "Queen of Disco," was also a gay drag performer. He unleashed two disco classics: "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Dance (Disco Heat)." He sung backup for Aretha Franklin on her "Who's Zoomin' Who?" comeback album. Sylvester died of complications from AIDS on Dec. 16, 1988.

Willi Donnell Smith (1948 - 1987)

Willi Smith is considered one of the most successful young, Black fashion designers in fashion history. Smith, who was openly gay, died unexpectedly at age of 39 after contracting shigella and pneumonia while on a trip to India, apparently because of AIDS. At the time of the Philly native’s death, April 17, 1987, his company, Williwear Ltd., had sold $25 million worth of clothing a year.

Published: 07 December 2009
Issue: 1401