DON CORNELIUS DEAD AT 75
“Soul Train” creator and host Don Cornelius, who brought R&B into America’s living rooms with his long-running television show, committed suicide Wednesday, according to TMZ.com
The 75-year-old Cornelius was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head around 4 a.m. inside his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home, the celebrity web site reported.
His show, dubbed “The Hippest Trip in America,” presented stars like Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin and Barry White to a national television audience.
Cornelius, with his deep voice, stylish clothes and Afro, provided a hipper alternative to Dick Clark and “American Bandstand” when his show debuted on Aug. 17, 1970.
It was syndicated a year later, making Cornelius a national star. Although he dropped out as host in 1993, the show continued running until December 2007.
