All posts by ilosm

Remember “Leon” from “Good Times?” He was one of “J.J.’s” high school friends-turned-hustler, who gave “J.J.” an illegal bookie job after running into him at the unemployment office. Well after “Leon” got shot by the cops in that police raid, actor Grand L. Bush went on to star in many films including “Colors,” “Stir Crazy,” “Demolition Man,””Street Fighter,” “License To Kill” and many more. We were wondering what the brotha was up to nowadays since we hadn’t seen him in a while and what we found was pretty surprising and impressive. Check this out family…

WHAT’S BEEN UP WITH GRAND L. BUSH

Grand L. Bush is 66 years young. In 2003, he officially retired from acting to enter a career field that we would least expect a ‘hustler’ like Leon” (in “Good Times”) or a ‘gangster,’ like “Larry Sylvester” (in “Colors”), to enter. But of course we’re talking about Grand the man, and not the actor. CHECK OUT WHAT HE DOES NOW…

BUSH LOVES HIS CAREER IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

After Grand L. Bush retired from acting he discovered his other passion and attended medical school, graduated in 2010, then became a vascular/abdominal sonographer. In the above photo he’s assisting a vascular surgeon during a laser venous ablation operation. Here’s what was reported:

 Los Angeles, CA — Representatives for Grand L. Bush announced … that the former Hollywood actor has signed with … a Southern California-based company. Bush joins a decorated team of highly-skilled diagnostic medical sonographers, hand-picked to provide hospitals, out-patient medical centers, doctors’ offices and community clinics with state-of-the-art ultrasound services.

Bush … accepted a contract with [the imaging company], after receiving notable certifications from the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers and demonstrating his skills in person. Source

GRAND WAS AWARDED FOR SAVING SHOOTING VICTIM

Grand is a real-life hero. In 1994, Los Angeles District Attorney Gil Garcetti presented him with the ‘Courageous Citizen Award’ for jumping in and saving the life of a shooting victim in L.A. who would have otherwise died on the spot from his injuries.

Grand is also dedicated to his religious beliefs and has ministered to incarcerated youth and other troubled minors.

GRAND L. BUSH IS MARRIED WITH CHILDREN

Bush has been married since 1994 to his TV personality wife, Sharon Raiford Bush (formerly known as Sharon Crews) and they have four children together, who pretty much stay out of the public eye.

Sharon was a TV news anchor and also became the first African-American female weather anchor of primetime TV news in 1975, while working at the very first Black-owned-and-operated television channel in the world, WPGR-TV in Detroit, MI. She later worked for CBS and NBC stations in Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as BET… THERE’S MORE…

HE’S A SKILLED SWIMMER

Grand L. Bush is also an expert swimmer and a certified sailboat skipper.

So as you can see, since we’ve last seen him on the big screen, Grand’s pretty much been enjoying life, even renewing his marriage vows to Sharon in 2006. We always love seeing an Old School entertainer living happy and stress-free after putting in the work and leaving a strong legacy in their path.

It’s only been a few days since Nia Long says she’s learned about the months-long cheating investigation the Boston Celtics conducted about her fiance,’ Ime Udoka. However, within that time frame, Nia and her team have now learned a LOT about Ime’s entanglement…including who the woman is he ‘entangled’ with.

First…A Recap Of Ime Udoka’s Suspension

As you’ve likely have heard, the Boston Celtics head coach, Ime Udoka, has been suspended for the entire 2022/2023 season (and it could extend further) by the organization for breaking one of the team’s rules– no intimate relationships with staff members are allowed. Welp, needless to say Ime has admittedly overstepped that boundary, by gettin’ intimate with a female Celtics’ front office employee, behind Nia’s back.

New Details Emerge After Nia Long Finds Out Who Fiance’ Cheated With

Fast forward to today…and it’s been reported that Nia’s recently learned exactly who the woman is. In fact, the other woman is one she likely has had some type of contact with. How so? Because the female (who’s identity is being withheld by the Celtics organization) is said to be a staffer who organized travel plans for Ime, as well as his fiancee,’ Nia.

The reason that new info seemingly stings harder for Nia, is because she was already highly pissed that Ime withheld the investigation from her, and instead knowingly allowed her and their 10-year-old son to pack up their lives and move to Boston a little over TWO weeks ago. The two were in the process of house-hunting in Boston.

Here’s what else was reported:

Via TMZ- Sources connected to the couple and the NBA franchise tell TMZ … one of the staffer’s duties included planning Udoka’s team-related travel, and we’re told she was also involved in booking travel for Nia to come to Boston or to road games.

Nia Was ‘Bindsided’ By Affair And Celtics’ Investigation

It was also reported that Nia’s team claims she was ‘blindsided’ by news of the affair, as well as the Boston Celtics investigation into Ime just days ago. And yep, it gets worse. Apparently, ever since July 2022, Ime reportedly was fully aware the Celtics organization had launched an investigation into his relationship with the front office staffer; and that there was a possibility that he would be punished by the team after the two of them were busted. Yet, according to TMZ, Ime didn’t tell Nia about any of this until days ago…after he knew the story was about to go public.

Nia Long Speaks Out

Following the onslaught of support Nia Long has received from thousands of fans on social media, she released a statement of gratitude and heartbreak through her rep, Shannon Barr:

Via TMZ- “The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me. I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children.”

Ime Udoka Apologizes

After Nia’s statement, Ime released one of his own, apologizing to all involved:

“I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team’s decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment.” – Ime Udoka

Celtics’ team President Nearly Cries While Discussing Ime’s Entanglement

The team president for the Celtics, Brad Stevens, was nearly reduced to tears while discussing Ime’s entanglement, and he impact it’s had on several other female staff members, during a press conference on Friday…

Looks like Ime done got himself into some serious mess. However, some fans think the Celtics’ full year suspension was too harsh; while others think it was appropriate punishment. Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out.

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This is an extremely sad situation on many levels. The late,”More Bounce To The Ounce” music legend, Roger Troutman, has a 33-year-old son, Brent Lynch, who’s serving a 32-year prison sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Though he’s received his punishment for the crime he committed, what he’s done has not only caused severe grief to his ex’s family, he’s continued the seemingly deep path of tragedies within his family. As you all know, Roger Troutman was murdered by his own brother in a murder-suicide in 1999. Unfortunately, his son, Brent, was on the other side of a murder investigation. Details below…

Reported Details Of The Crime:

Below is what was reported by various news outlets at the time of the 2012 murder Roger Troutman’s son, Brent, was convicted for:

Roger Troutman’s son, Brent Lynch will spend more than 32 years in prison for the March 3, 2012 beating death of his ex-girlfriend, Carolyn Leete, 32.

Ramsey County District Judge Robyn Millenacker sentenced Brent Lanier Lynch on Thursday, Nov. 1, [2012] to 386 months.

See what the mother of his murdered ex-girlfriend had to say…

[Brent] Lynch, entered an Alford plea Sept. 14. In such a plea, a defendant does not admit the crime but concedes the evidence most likely would convince a jury of his guilt.

Lynch also was ordered to pay $10,325.97 to Leete’s mother, brother and sisters. This included funeral costs.

Leete, an artist and nanny, died of traumatic head injury. She was found on a bed, partially unclothed, in Lynch’s home in the 800 block of West Minnehaha Avenue in St. Paul.

She was bleeding from her nose, mouth and eyes, and had what appeared to be defensive scratches on her hands and arms. There was a blood splatter on the wall about 12 inches in diameter.

“I am Carolyn’s mother, and I taught her to love,” Sheila Leete said. “And now I find myself filled with a hate I didn’t have before. It eats away at my insides and leaves the void left by Carolyn’s death even greater.”

Brent’s aunt gave more shocking reports about that night…

It was also reported in the court docs, that Brent’s aunt, Glenda Jett, had given Brent and Carolyn a ride to his home, hours before the murder. Brent’s mother, Brenda Lynch, stated that when Brent called and asked her to come pick he and Carolyn up from a party spot, she could tell he was drunk. Brenda told police she’d refused to go get them, because when he drinks “he gets crazy and it terrifies her.”  So she instead asked Glenda to get them. The aunt said when she dropped them off back home a little after 4 a.m., both Brent and Carolyn had clearly been drinking heavily. About two hours later, Brent called his Aunt Glenda, back to the house, asking for help with Carolyn. Not knowing what she was walking into, that’s where his aunt found Brent with Carolyn’s unresponsive and bloodied body.

“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this,” the complaint quoted [Brent Lynch] as saying. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was the alcohol.” Inside the jail, he told staff, “Please be nice to me. I’m here for a long time.”

The Troutman Family Tragedies

Unfortunately, all stories we bring to you aren’t happy stories, but they’re real stories that represent all aspects of life- the good, bad, and the outright ugly. Rogers’ family has been plagued with several deaths throughout the years: As previously mentioned, Roger was shot and killed by his brother, Larry Troutman. Larry then killed himself. Roger Troutman’s other son, Roger Lynch, passed away at the age of 33 in 2003; and now one of Roger’s sons has committed murder. So sad indeed.

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After the movie “Ray” came out, it’s no more a secret the late great Ray Charles loved himself some women. Decades later, one of his alleged longtime mistresses, Marci Soto, wrote a tell-all book and revealed that she did Mr. Charles dirty. This book has some people hot! Who knows what her motivation was/is. But like all writers, they presumably want to gain a profit.  Find out what she did and why below.

They Reportedly Couple Became A Secret Item in 1968

Allegedly, the couple became a secret item in 1968 when Ray was married to his wife, Della, and was a major R&B and Soul artist. Being a huge fan, Marci Soto convinced Ray’s manager to set up a date and she said they had sex that night. The couple reportedly enjoyed an on/off romance over the years.

Word On The Old School Curb Is That She Robbed Him Blind

As per Soto’s book, she robbed him blind:

“I certainly didn’t feel like I was robbing the blind. I felt like he was ready to do something he should have done years earlier – pay off my house.” Soto also reveals she once aborted Charles’ baby-and never told him. Wow! She adds, “I didn’t even tell Ray – there was no reason to know. I definitely wasn’t having a baby.”

Our take on this…we assume she did it for the money. There was nothing to gain from this but to tell her story, but there’s so much “shock” within the book, that it seems the approach was to create shock value. I remember something Oprah Winfrey said many years ago on her talk show, if you can look at a situation and deal with the worst thing that can happen and still be ok with it, then let that determine whether you’re going to do it or not. If Ray were here to look at it that way, we can only wonder what his response would be.

The legendary, Rick James, detailed in his book, “Glow,” exactly what went down on the night he got into it with the iconic, Prince. It was about to be a clash of thigh high boots, braid extensions, and blouses flying in the air (in a manly type of way though) when Rick and Prince came THIS close to throwin’ blows back in the day! As we all know, Prince was private, but Rick lived his life like an open book, which is why he had no problem revealing that he wanted to -and I quote- “kick Prince’s a$$.” Although it was a serious situation, the way Rick described this is actually pretty funny and a it’s fond memory of two incredibly talented legends gone way too soon.

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE DISSED HIS MOM?

Rick James wrote about the time he tried to fight Prince backstage at an awards show, after Prince turned down Rick’s mother’s autograph request. To Prince’s credit, he didn’t know that was Rick’s Mom, but that didn’t matter to Rick- he was PISSED after his Mom told him she was dissed by Prince. Here is what Rick James wrote about that night:

That’s all I needed to hear. I chased after that little turd. I caught up with him and was about to lay him out when his manager stepped in.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Rick?” asked the manager. I told him Prince had dissed Mom and that I was gonna kick his scrawny ass. Prince explained that he didn’t know who Mom was. “Well, now you know, motherfucker,” I said.

[…] Prince apologized to Mom and apologized to me. I was a little disappointed ‘cause I really did wanna kick his ass.’

Really? A “turd” Rick?!! LOL…the visual on this Rick James/Prince blow up is hilarious, but that wasn’t the first time they had beef. SEE WHERE THIS TENSION STARTED…

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE PLAYED HIM

Rick James made it widely known that he wasn’t a fan of Prince. Their issues date back to the late 70’s/early 80’s, when Prince opened up for Rick James’ tour. In his book, “Glow,” Rick alleged that Prince jacked his style on tour, stole his concept for his 80’s girl group, Mary Jane Girls (pictured in the photo)…AND his original lead singer. Rick said he told Prince about his girl group he was building, with it’s lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews. According to Rick, when Vanity saw Prince for the first time backstage at an award show, she left with him instead and never returned to Rick. The next thing he knew, Prince had formed his own girl group, Vanity 6, and made Vanity the lead singer.

Like we always say, there was rarely a dull day in the lives of some of our favorite icons and this is proof of that. May Prince, Vanity, and Rick James, forever rest in peace and we thank them for the timeless music and the priceless stories, like this one, that put smiles on our faces as we reminisce.

The day Halle Berry’s R&B ex-husband linked up with the ex-wife of the iconic Prince, it was a stroke of fate. They met at a Los Angeles bar and Eric Benet instantly ‘fell in love’ with the woman who seems to have a giving heart. When Eric began dating his now-wife, Manuela Testolini, he thought he’d found his soulmate, which apparently he did. However, what he later learned, was that he’d also found something of a treasure in Manuela, after eventually learning the music icon he idolized was her ex-husband.

Eric has been married to Manuela for 11 years (since 2011). Their wedding came six years after Eric and Halle divorced in 2005; and 5 years after Manuela and Prince divorced in 2006.

How Eric Benet Found Out His Wife Was Prince’s Ex-Wife

It’s unclear exactly what year Manuela and Eric began kickin’ it, but we do know it was during Manuela’s divorce proceedings from her then-hubby, Prince. Eric Benet confirmed this in a prior interview on Van Lathan’s “The Red Pill” podcast. Turns out, he also had no clue who exactly he was dating for at least the first two months of his relationship with Manuela:

Via Yahoo- “We’re seeing each other for, like, a couple of months and during those couple of months she’s telling me that she’s going through a divorce…,” [Eric Benet] said, explaining he realized this was no ordinary split and there was a lot of money at stake.

“Her name is Testolini, so for some reason I thought she was married to some Italian (guy)… I was driving her to the airport… and she gave me some other details and finally I was like, ‘Who is this guy…?’ and so she just kind of laughed and said, ‘Prince’. I was like, ‘Prince who…?’ By that time we were already like (an item).”

Benet Admits He Couldn’t Measure Up To Prince

Via Yahoo- The fact he was dating Prince’s ex made Eric step up his dating game, adding, “Usually, if I’m dating somebody and I invite her to the studio, it’s like, that’s a thing… It’s like, ‘Wow, I get to see how you create and this is so fascinating’. And then once I found out it was Prince, I was like, ‘I ain’t s**t, man…!’. My studio is (small).”

What Happened When Prince Put Benet On The Spot

As if it wasn’t already pressure enough for the brotha to try to come behind Prince in the dating department, Eric Benet revealed how nervous he was when Prince put him on the spot during their first meeting. In fact, from what the R&B crooner described to Lathan, he was damn near like a deer caught in headlights at that moment.

You see, Eric Benet was just getting his career poppin’ when he met Prince at his concert. Prince was headlining the show and Benet was in the audience, soakin’ up the greatness of the icon who stood before the crowd. In the midst of performing, Prince apparently recognized Benet and called him up on stage. Here’s what happened next though:

Via Music News- “Prince saw me in the audience and told me to get up…,” he recalled. “I kick myself about this… but when you respect somebody (like that), when he pulled me onstage I was blown away… He was doing some jam…”

And when the headliner [Prince] handed Eric the microphone, the young star just freaked out and screamed.

“He said, ‘The next time I invite you onstage you better sing’,” Benet laughed, adding, “Any musician out there now owes a debt to Prince… We’re all standing on the shoulders of that guy.”

Must be a cool feeling for that ‘Prince moment’ to come full circle for Eric Benet. He and his wife now have two beautiful young girls together, and Eric has an older daughter from a prior marriage. Manuela still works with her late ex-husband, Prince’s, philanthropic foundations to this day. She has also built a school in Africa under his name.

Comedic actors — like Eddie Murphy — are so skilled at always making us laugh, that we sometimes overlook that they, too, may be going through life pains…just like the rest of us. Eddie’s past revelation about how his biological Father was viciously killed is a reminder of that reality. See the details about how his Dad was actually killed and why, below.

How EDDIE & CHARLIE’S BIOLOGICAL DAD WAS MURDERED

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Eddie once revealed, to Rolling Stone Magazine, surprising details of how his dad, Charles Edward Murphy (not pictured), was killed when Eddie was a kid. First, Eddie explained this:

“My mother (pictured above) and father broke up when I was three, and he died when I was eight, so I have very dim memories. Every now and then, I wonder what it would be like if he was still here.

Eddie then described how his Dad was murdered at just 28 years old:

“He (Eddie’s dad, Charles) was a victim of the Murphy charm chuckles. A woman stabbed my father. I never got all the logistics. It was supposed to be one of those crimes of passion: ‘If I can’t have you, then no one else will’ kind of deal. Someone said to me one day, ‘That’s why you don’t trust women.’ Get the fu*k outta here. What are you, a fu*%ing psychiatrist?” said Eddie.

“I don’t think the two have anything to do with each other. But I was really fu*%ed up about his death. It was really traumatic.”

Eddie also said, “I do have two fathers,” referring to his biological dad, Charles, and his stepfather, Vernon.

EDDIE WAS DISTRAUGHT AFTER STEPFATHER DIED IN HIS ARMS

Eddie’s stepfather, Vernon Lynch Sr. (shown above with his wife/Eddie’s mom, Lillian), died in 2001 from lung cancer. He loved Eddie and his brother, Charlie, as his own, helping raise them since they were young kids. Vernon died in Eddie’s arms and family friends said that changed Eddie. He went from always smiling and crackin’ jokes on them, to very serious and withdrawn for a long time.

A family friend once revealed: “As Vernon’s breathing became more and more shallow, Eddie started to cry and leaned over and whispered in his ear: ‘You’ve been a wonderful father, and I hope I’m half the father to my kids that you’ve been to me. I love you, man.’”

Hie Father’s death, combined with pain of losing his brother, Charlie Murphy are very sad indeed.. Thankfully, through it all, Eddie keeps proving this Old School saying true: ‘What doesn’t kill you, can only make you stronger.’

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Although “Material Girl,” Madonna, happily detailed she and Michael Jackson’s tongue kissing moments, apparently, MJ’s experience of Madonna wasn’t as pleasant as her recollection of their fling was. To our surprise, Michael kept it ALL the way real about Madonna in taped conversation with his friend. You gotta hear Michael explain this in his own words…it’s quite entertaining to say the least…

MICHAEL EXPLAINED WHY HE CALED MADONNA A “NASTY WITCH”

After Michael Jackson’s untimely passing in 2009, his friend, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, did an interview with NBC News host, Meredith Viera, revealing that MJ was aware that their discussions about Madonna were taped. So, the Rabbi shared this one publicly (full audio of Michael’s taped convo at bottom of page).

Michael Jackson: Madonna laid the law down to me before we went out. “I am not going to Disneyland, okay? That´s out,” I said, “But I didn´t ask you to go to Disneyland.” She said, “We are going to the restaurant and afterwards we are going to a strip bar.” I said, “I am not going to a strip bar.” [With] guys who cross-dress!

MJ: Afterwards she wrote some mean things about me in the press and I wrote that she is a nasty witch, after I was so kind to her. I have told you that we were at the table eating and some little kids came up. “Oh my God. Michael Jackson and Madonna. Can we have your autograph?” She said, “Get out of here. Leave us alone.” I said, “Don´t ever talk to children like that.” She said, “Shut up.” I said, “You shut up.” That´s how we were. Then we went out again and went to the Academy Awards and she is not a nice person. I have to say it. She is not a nice person.

Shmuley Boteach: Did the people around you feel that it was important to be seen with her?

MJ: They knew nothing about it. This was totally between her and me.

MJ: “SHE DID A LOT OF CRAZY THINGS”

“I think she was sincerely in love with me and I was not in love with her”

MJ: At the time I was with Madonna she was into these books, a whole library of books of women who were tied to walls. She said. “I love spanky books.” Why do I want to see that?

SB: I think a lot of it is the image. She once said something to the effect that she would much rather read a good book than have sex. I think the other vulgar stuff is part of the outrageous image she tries to cultivate.

Michael continued…

MJ: She´s lying [about preferring to read a book]. I can´t judge. I don´t know if she has changed or if she [is] trying to claim she has changed. […] I think she likes shock value and she knows how to push buttons on people. I think she was sincerely in love with me and I was not in love with her. She did a lot of crazy things and that´s how that went. I knew we had nothing in common. But I am pretty sure that having a baby has to change you. I don’t know how much she has changed, I´m sure she is a better person than before.

SEE WHAT MJ SAID MADONNA WANTED HIM TO DO SEXUALLY

MJ: How would you like getting a phone call and she is telling you that she is putting her fingers between her legs. I would say, “Oh Madonna, please.” She said, “What I want you to do when you hang up the phone is to rub yourself and think of me”. That´s the kind of stuff she says. When I see her she says: “This is the finger I used last night”. Wild, out of control.

SB: But you were raised that all things romantic should have a certain modesty…Have you ever found women who are a bit more modest to be more attractive for that reason?

MJ: Yeah. I don´t like the women who are always saying, “My nails need to be done. I have to do my toes. I need a manicure”. I hate all that. I like it when girls are a little bit more tomboyish. If they wrestle, climb a tree. I love that… It is sexier to me. I like class though. Class is everything.

LISTEN TO TAPED CONVO OF MJ TALKING ABOUT MADONNA

Listen to Michael Jackson’s taped conversation about Madonna below…

By the way, MJ wasn’t into Madonna, but he definitely loved the ladies, just ask his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Mills; as well as Chilli (of TLC); actress, Tatum O’Neal; Beyonce’; MJ’s former personal female chef; and the list goes on and on. Hmmm…they all have stories to tell about him.

Soon after music icon, Luther Vandross, passed away in 2005, his beloved mother, Mary Ida Vandross, was gracious and brave enough to speak out. She allowed the public into the last moments of their heartbreaking lows and highs during her son, Luther’s -whom she affectionately nicknamed “Ronnie”- last days.

As we previously reported, Mrs. Ida lost her all four of her children, with Luther being the last one. Her husband, Luther Sr., died when Luther Jr. was 8 years old, causing Mary to raise their four children on her own. In prior interviews with People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly, Mary Ida thoroughly detailed what her last child, Luther, did from the moment he suffered the stroke that sparked his 2-year health decline, to his last words to her shortly before his final breathe.
“God had some connections with my son”

Mary Ida Vandross: “I feel sincerely that God had some connections with my son. The winter before he had the stroke, I noticed that he was putting things in order. Too much in order.”

“He Called Me One Day And Said…”

“I was living in Connecticut, in a 10-room house, and he called me one day and said, ‘Momma, I don’t like you being up here by yourself. I want you to think about moving to Philadelphia.'”

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“I Just Feel Like He Was Telling Me Something”

MV: “I started laughing, and he had the best laugh, and I said, ‘I like Philadelphia to visit. I don’t know how I’d like to live there.’ But he said, ‘Think about it. You’re here by yourself, and you don’t need to be by yourself.’ I just feel like he was telling me something.”

Mary Ida Vandross’ Intuition About Her Son Was Correct
Mary took her son’s advice and relocated to Philly to be near Luther and family. Shortly afterwards, Luther’s housekeeper found him collapsed from a stroke, on his Manhattan condo floor on April 16, 2003. A blood vessel at the base of his brain had burst.

Mom Blames Luther’s Weight Struggle & Eating Habits
Luther suffered from diabetes and hypertension, but Mary blamed weight fluctuations for his severe health decline.

”I knew how hard he was struggling not to gain the weight,” she said. ”And yet he would eat uncontrollably.”

Luther Spent 2 More Years In Extreme Health Crisis
Luther was hospitalized in a stroke-induced coma for the next two months, eventually having “moments” of alertness, shaking his head ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ He was then moved to a rehab facility for 1 year and vastly improved, sometimes joking with loved ones, but…

Suddenly Progress Halted & Here’s What Mom Said He Did In Last Days

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“I Had A Premonition”

MV: “For two years I went every Sunday and any other day that I could get there. The Sunday before he passed, I had a premonition that I was losing him. That was the saddest moment of my life. Here I am with one child left out of four, and to see him drifting away.”

Mary Vandross Took Action

“I told the nurse, ‘Please get him up. I want him to have dinner with me.’ So we got him up and he had watermelon and corn bread—his favorite food—and he was talking” normally that day.

The Request From His Mom That Luther Sadly Declined To Answer

“I said, ‘How do you feel?’ And he says, ‘Okay.’ I said, ‘Ronni? Do you know I love you so much?’ He said, ‘Yes.'” But Luther didn’t reply to his Mom’s next statement. “I said, ‘Please do me a favor and get well.’ And he never answered me.”

It Started With Mom’s Heart-Wrenching Attempt To Encourage An Ailing Luther
In a desperate attempt to encourage Luther to keep fighting, Mary sang him a song she hadn’t sang to him since he was a kid.

“I started singing: ‘You’ll never know just how much I love you / You’ll never know just how much I care …'”

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Vandross Made His Mom Laugh In Midst Pain…But It Was Bittersweet
Luther instead lifted his Mom’s spirits:

“When I stopped, he said, ‘It was okay.’ I said, ‘Okay?! You know something? I have to duck from record companies trying to get me to sign up.’And he said, “Well, keep duckin!’ And we laughed. But when I left, and I saw him watch me, I just had a feeling that was the end.”

“That Thursday” Mary told her sister, “I hear death bells. I’m losing my son.” She continued, “And on Friday [July 1, 2005] I just couldn’t stop crying; I cried myself to sleep. And when I woke, my niece Brenda told me, “Ronni [Luther] died about an hour ago.”
“Oh, Lord…My Last Child”

“I screamed. I said, ‘Oh, Lord. My last child. Help me to understand.’ God knows how empty my life has been since all of my children are gone. I prayed for understanding. …Nobody on earth knows how I miss my children.”

Sadly, all four of Mrs. Vandross’ children died from diabetic complications. Three years after Luther’s death, his mother, Mary Ida Vandross, passed away following a month-long coma. May they all rest in eternal peace.

When we think of “The Jeffersons” sitcom several characters likely come to mind, including “Lionel Jefferson.” As in ‘Lionel #1’ (played by actor, Mike Evans); and also ‘Lionel #2’ which was portrayed by Damon Evans. Remember him? (FYI: He is not related to Mike Evans). Damon let the cat of the bag when he publicly revealed that he hated playing “Lionel” on The Jeffersons and deeply regrets doing the show.

Turns out, he has some very interesting and deep reasons for this. Check out an interview Damon did with interviewer, Keith Boykin, below…

Damon Evans on how The Jefferson’s sitcom negatively affected his life…

Damon Evans: If I had to make that particular choice over again, that is accepting or not accepting the role of ‘Lionel’ and replacing actor Michael Evans, I definitely would have refused the role.

… The question asked of me will always be “Which ‘Lionel’ are you, the first or the second?” In retrospect, I think it was actually an impossible task to undertake because most people don’t seem to remember that Michael Evans was the first ‘Jefferson’ to appear on All in the Family. Both Weezy and George were cast later. Also, Sherman Hemsley was not the original George Jefferson.

Damon is referring to this fun fact about the show’s beginning cast: From the character’s first appearance on All in the Family, producer, Norman Lear, had pegged Sherman Hemsley to play “George Jefferson.” But when All in the Family became a hit, Hemsley was tied up on Broadway as the co-star of Purlie, and was understandably reluctant to break his contract. Lear improvised and hired Mel Stewart as a sort of “placeholder.” In the sitcom’s storyline, Stewart posed as “George Jefferson” when he joined “George’s” wife, “Louise” (played by Isabel Sanford), for dinner at the ‘Bunker’ home. It was later revealed that he was actually “Henry Jefferson,” “George’s” brother. 

Damon revealed that his sexual preference became an issue for him on The Jeffersons as well.

KB: Wow. I’m learning a lot today. It sounds like you didn’t enjoy doing the show. Did you?

Damon Evans: Not really. No! I uprooted myself from a role as a classical music student and was thrust in the public’s eye overnight. Talk about stress and adjustment issues. However, that said, the first year on the show was quite a heady experience. There I was a total unknown one day, and the next appearing on network television in one of the top 10 TV shows on the air. I had not even seen one episode of the show before I took over the part, and the producers discouraged me from ever watching any of the episodes in which Mike had appeared. There was such a marked difference in our interpretations of the role.

Losing my anonymity at such a young age was devastating to me. Besides, I was just becoming aware that I was a gay man and the conflict of the expectations of Hollywood and the role of ‘Lionel’ placed me in enormous emotional, psychological, and spiritual conflict with myself. My family, on the other hand, couldn’t have been happier. There I was ‘Lionel’ which was to them the epitome of what they wanted me to be, but ‘Lionel’ was just a role I played as an actor. To this very day, I don’t think they have a clue as to who I really am, and that’s there loss.

KB: You mean they don’t know you’re gay? 

Damon: No, they do know I’m gay but they won’t accept it.

Damon Evans on never meeting the 1st “Lionel.”

Evans also stated that he never had a chance to meet the first Lionel, played by Mike Evans, who was also the co-creator of the “Good Times” sitcom:

Damon Evans: I was the second ‘Lionel’ and I never met Mike, although I did meet his mother one Sunday in church during the first year I was doing the show. That is the closest I ever got to meeting and/or knowing Mike Evans, his mother. I always tell people that I am the one without the ‘fro and the one who married Jenny on TV. Sometimes, that is still not enough for some people to differentiate us apart.

On what advice he would tell others who want to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting career.

Damon Evans: Don’t forsake their values to their ultimate goal. Because once you get there you’ll find out that there is no there there. And most of all, you don’t have yourself when you get there. Don’t forsake values. … I heard Gladys Knight say this, that we all get lost in the maze of materialism, but there’s a greater force if you believe in it, that brings us back home. Let’s just say this, I’ve taken detours but I always come back home.

Wow! I guess you can say that we all learn something new everyday, don’t we? Damon sure had all of us fooled. We wish that brotha the best though. Maestro cue the outro music! *Singing* “Well we’re moving on up! To the east si-i-ide!…”

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