Remembering Faith Ringgold, James Earl Jones, Nikki Giovanni, Tony Todd, Judith Jamison, Quincy Jones, John Amos, and other notable people our community lost in 2024.
Marlena Shaw, 81
Jazz singer
Jan. 19, 2024
Dexter King, 62
Civil rights activist and son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
Jan. 22, 2024
Hinton Battle, 67
Choreographer
Jan. 30, 2024
Carl Weathers, 76
Actor known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky films and Greef Karga in The Mandalorian
Feb. 1, 2024
Henry Fambrough, 85
Founding member of The Spinners
Feb. 6, 2024
Gylan Kain, 81
Poet, musician, and founder of The Last Poets
Feb. 7, 2024
Kelvin Kiptum, 24
Athlete and marathon record holder
Feb. 11, 2024
Eddie Cheeba, 67
DJ
Feb. 13, 2024
Hydeia Broadbent, 39
HIV/AIDS activist
Feb. 20, 2024
Naomi Ruth Barber King, 92
Civil rights leader and MLK’s sister-in-law
March 7, 2024
Dorie Ladner, 81
Civil rights leader and veteran of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
March 11, 2024
Lichelle Marie “Bo$$” Laws, 54
Pioneering female gangsta rapper and first female artist signed to Def Jam
March 11, 2024
Anthony “Baby Gap” Walker, 60
Member of The Gap Band
March 12, 2024
Sandra Crouch, 81
Gospel musician
March 17, 2024
Louis Gossett Jr., 87
Award-winning actor known for An Officer and a Gentleman and Roots
March 28, 2024
William Strickland, 87
Civil rights activist and professor
April 10, 2024
OJ Simpson, 76
NFL Hall of Famer and actor known for Roots
April 10, 2024
Faith Ringgold, 93
World-renowned visual artist whose works are part of the Smithsonian’s and Studio Museum of Harlem’s permanent collections
April 12, 2024
Chris King, 32
Rapper
April 20, 2024
Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr., 65
Politician representing New Jersey
April 24, 2024
Jimmy Johnson, 86
NFL San Francisco 49ers Hall of Famer
May 8, 2024
Rev. William Johnson, 95
Civil rights leader
May 14, 2024
Marian Robinson, 86
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s mother
May 31, 2024
Larry Allen, 53
NFL Hall of Famer
June 3, 2024
Brother Marquis, 58
Member of 2 Live Crew
June 3, 2024
Rev. James Lawson Jr., 95
Civil rights activist
June 9, 2024
Angela Bofill, 70
Singer known for “I Try”
June 13, 2024
Rev. Fred D. Taylor, 85
Activist, singer, and member of Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
June 22, 2024
Bill Cobbs, 90
Celebrated actor
June 25, 2024
Renauld White, 80
Model and actor known for Guiding Light
June 26, 2024
Joe Bryant, 69
NBA player and Kobe Bryant’s father
July 16, 2024
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, 74
Congress woman representing Texas
July 19, 2024
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, 88
Four Tops singer
July 22, 2024
Wally Amos, 88
Television personality and founder of Famous Amos Cookies
Aug. 13, 2024
John Amos, 84
Celebrated actor known for James Evans in Good Times
Aug. 30, 2024
Fatman Scoop, 50
DJ and radio personality
Aug. 30, 2024
James Earl Jones, 93
Award-winning actor of film, TV, and stage
Sept. 9, 2024
Frankie Beverly, 77
Musician and member of Maze
Sept. 10, 2024
Tito Jackson, 70
Musician and member of The Jackson 5
Sept. 15, 2024
Ken Page, 70
Celebrated stage and film actor known for Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas
Sept. 30, 2024
Cissy Houston, 91
Vocalist and mother of the late Whitney Houston
Oct. 7, 2024
Wanda Smith, 58
Radio personality
Oct. 13, 2024
Thelma Mothershed-Wair, 83
One of the Little Rock Nine
Oct. 19, 2024
Clark Kent, 57
DJ
Oct. 24, 2024
Quincy Jones, 91
Music legend
Nov. 3, 2024
Tony Todd, 69
Celebrated actor known for Candyman
Nov. 9, 2024
Judith Jamison, 81
Choreographer, dancer, and former artistic director and artistic director emerita of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Nov. 9, 2024
Ella Jenkins, 100
Activist and singer known as the “first lady of children’s music”
Nov. 9, 2024
Saafir, 54
West Coast rapper
Nov. 19, 2024
Yolanda Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni, 81
Author, professor, poet, and civil rights activist
Dec. 9, 2024
Alfa Anderson, 78
Lead singer of the Chic
Dec. 17, 2024
Rickey Henderson, 65
MLB Hall of Famer
Dec. 20, 2024
Art Evans, 82
Actor known for Die Hard 2 and A Soldier’s Story
Dec. 21, 2024
Greg Gumbel, 78
Sportscaster and brother of Bryant Gumbel
Dec. 27, 2024
Former President Jimmy Carter, 100
39th President of the United States of America and activist
Dec. 29, 2024
