Deaths 2014

Originally posted on 2014-11-11 13:14:18

The rap community as well as the music industry lost one of the great pioneers early this morning. Big Bank Hank, 57, died of cancer this morning. He was a member of the Sugarhill Gang and he was a member of one of the first groups to be signed with an independent record label and be promoted nationally with their smash 1979 hit Rapper's Delight. The song was also the first rap song to be played on Black radio stations across the nation. The late Sylvia Robinson was the founder of Sugarhill Records when she noticed that kids were going crazy for the relatively new genre of music in 1979 and she cashed in on it, literally according to some groups from the label who stated the Robinson family did not disburse the income from their smash hit records to the artists fairly. source TMZ

Originally posted on 2014-11-11 13:14:18

Originally posted on 2014-01-14 13:50:25

The Industry Dot Biz: TheIndustry.biz is sad to report the death of DJ Nando, who was a powerful voice in the nightclub and adult entertainment club community in Atlanta.  Clayton County Police have identified,  38-year old William Fernando Barnes a.k.a Dj Nando, who was shot and killed overnight at a home on the 6500 block of Oak Street in Morrow. The incident happened approximately at 4:30 a.m. and  Barnes died, shortly, after the shooting.  At this time the Clayton County Police are searching for suspects and potential witnesses.The Program Director of hip-hop station HOT 107.9, Hurricane Dave said DJ Nando was “well respected” among artists and DJ’s and that he “broke a lot of records” for a number of artists in the Atlanta area.DJ Nando has been a member of Atlanta’s very well known Coalition DJ’s since 2008 and was also working on his debut album prior to his unfortunate death. Coalition DJs brass, Nick Love and Xavier “Big X” Hargrove, have issued the following on behalf of the organization:"Today we’ve lost not only a great talent and DJ, but our friend and brother. Nando had a great ear for talent and was highly respected within the dj community and the music industry at large. dj Nando played a huge role in the success of Atlanta’s thriving music scene, and was a constant “go to” for labels and artists trying to get their music to the masses.We’re not engaging in speculation, as we await the final reports from authorities, and ask that you join us in honoring his memory by doing the same. In the coming days we ask for your continued prayers for DJ Nando’s family, friends, his business partner AB and our organization as we work to process this senseless tragedy."TheIndustry.biz would like to offer our sincere condolences to DJ Nando's family, friends, fans, and anyone affected by this tragic death.  

Originally posted on 2014-01-14 13:50:25

Originally posted on 2014-02-26 01:56:54 TheIndustry.biz is sad to report that Jackson Mayor Chokweo Lumumba has died. The details are sketchy at this point but Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart has confirmed his death.Lumumba was Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi. Lumumba was born in westside of Detroit, Michigan as Edwin Finley Taliaferro, a name he refered to as his'slave name'. [...]

Originally posted on 2014-04-09 05:29:58

The Industry Dot Biz:  TheIndustry.biz is sad to report the passing of a World Wrestling Entertainment icon, The Ultimate Warrior, who later changed his name to Warrior. TMZ initially reported that James Brian Hellwig collapsed outside an Arizona hotel at 5:50 PM on April 8th, while walking to his car with his wife. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.James Brian Hellwig's death comes only three days after The Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and just one day after Hellwig made an appearance on WWE's "Raw," his first appearance on the show since 1996. The was 54 years old when he passed.We would like to send our condolences to his family, friends, and fans around the world.

Originally posted on 2014-04-09 05:29:58

Originally posted on 2014-02-11 05:01:14 [...]

Originally posted on 2014-07-01 06:18:32 28-year-old Jerry Smith aka DJ JR died after being stabbed in the VIP section of an Orlando, Fl club where a fight  broke out. Smith then stumbled out onto the street where he died after witnesses noticed he was bleeding from the stomach. Officers on the scene stated that Smith pointed out Gavin Brown, 35 and said "He did it, he stabbed me" before he passed. Brown (pictured right) in in jail without bond. [...]

Originally posted on 2014-03-02 20:27:47

The Industry Dot Biz: TheIndustry.biz is sad to report the death of Roy Simmons. He was an American football player who played for the National Football League. He played Guard for the New York Giants and then with the Washington Redskins during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984.In 1992, he announced that he was gay on The Phil Donahue Show. In his autobiography, Out of Bounds (written with Damon DiMarco), he speaks of drug addiction, prostitution, and promiscuity. Around 1997, he learned that he was HIV-positive.Simmons died February 20, 2014, in his Bronx, New York apartment at the age of 57.

Originally posted on 2014-03-02 20:27:47

Originally posted on 2014-01-02 23:15:15 TheIndustry.biz is sad to report that legendary actor, Chuck Patterson, who most of us know as "Jimmy" from Robert Townsend's "The Five Heartbeats" died two days before Christmas. Patterson, who was living in Harlem, was highly responsible and helped pave the way for other talented African-American actors trying to make it on Broadway.Patterson was cast back in 1975 by actor/director George C. [...]