The post Legendary “Lean On Me” Actress Sadly Passed Away With Very Little Fanfare appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Beverly Todd who is best known for her roles in “Lean On Me,” “Moving,” Bucket List,” and “A Piece Of The Action” has had to go through something no parent should ever have to experience– the death of her son who was just 18 years old.

Beverly’s son, Malik Smith, was murdered in 1989 when the actress was in the middle of promoting the 1989 film, “Lean On Me.” Unfortunately, the details surrounding Malik’s death, and the justice he did not get, are still very relevant issues in today’s society.

Malik was killed during a club brawl while he was on vacation in Salt Lake City, UT, during his freshmen year in college. During the fight with an 18-year-old, Malik was punched hard in the head and fell back, hitting his head on the floor, leaving him brain dead as he lay on the dance floor of the club.

Soon after his murder trial, Beverly Todd began to voice her frustration and her disappointment with the type of justice, or lack thereof, that her son received after the court gave a very weak sentence to his murderer.

Malik’s reported killer, John Leota, was also 18 at the time of Malk’s murder. Leota’s original sentence of second degree murder was reduced to misdemeanor homicide; and he only served EIGHT MONTHS IN JAIL for Malik’s death.

Beverly Todd expressed her outrage to the LA Times:

‘”A misdemeanor!” Todd says, with disbelief. “That’s for throwing paper on the sidewalk or for spitting, that’s not for taking someone’s life.” But instead of being disabled by rage or indignation, she has been working to have the homicide laws of Utah toughened.’

THE DEADLY INCIDENT WAS SUPPOSEDLY OVER JEALOUSLY OF MALIK’S DANCING SKILLS:

‘Malik was a terrific dancer, and that was apparently what provoked the young man who killed him. While on vacation, Malik and a friend had gone with the friend’s cousin to a teen-age dance club (no alcohol) in suburban Salt Lake City. Malik had stayed behind when his companions left to get something to eat. He stayed because the deejay finally played a song he especially liked, and he got up and danced, all by himself. He was having fun….The 800-page transcript of Leota’s trial doesn’t answer all the questions it raises. Malik may or may not have beckoned girlfriends of Leota to join him.

Leota, who had a long history of trouble with the law, was angry. He’d fought with two other young men that same night in Club 35…A witness said Malik was backing away when Leota hit him so hard that Malik was lifted six inches off the ground. Malik’s head struck something as he fell. Then Leota, who testified that he had not intended to kill Malik, kicked him in the head. When Todd got the phone call that every parent fears most, Malik was only being kept alive by machines. He died two days later, on March 20, 1989.’

WHOOPI GOLDBERG & OTHERS PROTEST MALIK’S KILLER’S SENTENCE:

This is just another reminder that although it has been over three decades since Beverly’s beloved son was killed, the more things change, the more they sadly stay the same. Unfortunately, there is still an increasingly growing number of parents who are in the exact same helpless position as Beverly Todd was in when her son’s life was reduced to an outcome of a misdemeanor charge and his killer spending just 8 short months in jail.

Although Beverly Todd has continued to work and looks amazing at the age of 76 years young, she said that she will always have pain over the death of her son: “Because your child is dead, doesn’t mean that you stop being a parent. You still think about your kid. It’s just that the thoughts have no place to go.”

The post After Son Of “Lean On Me” Actress Was Murdered, She Was Outraged Over Court’s Ruling appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Today, Hopkins is a family man. During a prior radio interview, Jermaine spilled the beans on the harsh realities of succumbing to the pressures of being an actor and taking care of the household, while still having to maintain a certain lifestyle even when said actor may not be in-demand at the moment.

Jermaine Hopkins was arrested for 200 pounds of marijuana, which was reportedly stashed in his car when the cops pulled him over in December 2011. He also said the officers went to his house and found another 100 pounds, as well as $100,000 in cash. According to Hopkins, he was driving a “nice little SUV” to hold the drugs and an undercover cop just pulled him over on the highway, while driving from North Carolina to Phoenix, Arizona. He faced up to five years in jail, but ultimately ended up serving 30 days in jail and three years’ probation.

Unfortunately, Jermaine was arrested again in October 2017 for reportedly having 5.7 pounds of weed in the trunk of his car, while in Apex, North Carolina. The judge over his case suspended his four-month sentence, giving Hopkins a 24-month of supervised probation sentence instead.

When his case was still ongoing, Jermaine spoke out on his then-pending charges. Below are excerpts from his TMZ interview:

“It’s still an on-going case thanks to TMZ,” says [Jermaine] Hopkins. “But I’m a family man and I was taking care of the family. But I’m sure TMZ will let everyone know” (what happens) he added. God is my ace in the hole. I’m glad it wasn’t a shame game. I feel bad because I didn’t know how many fans I really had…but they came out in support. But I keep the faith.” 

Jermaine also said that he “wasn’t out there hurting anyone” and that even in his charges, it says he wasn’t hurting people.

When asked did he ever think about getting caught, Jermaine confessed to being prepared for that moment:

“I always mentally prepared myself for being caught…nothing last forever.” His additional advice for young folks – “be prepared for the outcome”. [When those police lights came on], “I knew oh this is the day. The officers didn’t treat me like crap. The officers knew who I was before the deal went down. When we got to the station, the TV cameras were all there to do interviews.”

So, what else is Jermaine up to nowadays? In more recent years, he’s worked on a film that tackled drug dealing; it was already shot before his situation happened. He had a reality TV show, Here Comes The Hopkins, where he introduced his family to the world.

The “Lean On Me” star knows that fans still think he’s that same little kid stuck on the roof in “Lean On Me,” or as the teenaged character, “Steele,” in “Juice.”  However, he now has a 20-something year old son, a young daughter, a granddaughter; and a wife whom he credited as being his real backbone.

Speaking of “Lean On Me,” Jermaine Hopkins and the his former cast mates [from the bathroom-singing scene in “Lean On Me”] reunited a few years ago for the film’s 25^th anniversary to sing the alma mater again. And they’ve still got it! By the way, who knew Jermaine could actually sing? All these years I thought he was lip-synching in the movie, but…guess I was wrong. Anywho…check them out on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show below…

The post “Lean On Me” And “Juice” Actor Explained Being Caught With $100K+ In Major Drug Bust appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Today, Hopkins is a family man. During a prior radio interview, Jermaine spilled the beans on the harsh realities of succumbing to the pressures of being an actor and taking care of the household, while still having to maintain a certain lifestyle even when said actor may not be in-demand at the moment.

Jermaine Hopkins was arrested for 200 pounds of marijuana, which was reportedly stashed in his car when the cops pulled him over in December 2011. He also said the officers went to his house and found another 100 pounds, as well as $100,000 in cash. According to Hopkins, he was driving a “nice little SUV” to hold the drugs and an undercover cop just pulled him over on the highway, while driving from North Carolina to Phoenix, Arizona. He faced up to five years in jail, but ultimately ended up serving 30 days in jail and three years’ probation.

Unfortunately, Jermaine was arrested again in October 2017 for reportedly having 5.7 pounds of weed in the trunk of his car, while in Apex, North Carolina. The judge over his case suspended his four-month sentence, giving Hopkins a 24-month of supervised probation sentence instead.

When his case was still ongoing, Jermaine spoke out on his then-pending charges. Below are excerpts from his TMZ interview:

“It’s still an on-going case thanks to TMZ,” says [Jermaine] Hopkins. “But I’m a family man and I was taking care of the family. But I’m sure TMZ will let everyone know” (what happens) he added. God is my ace in the hole. I’m glad it wasn’t a shame game. I feel bad because I didn’t know how many fans I really had…but they came out in support. But I keep the faith.” 

Jermaine also said that he “wasn’t out there hurting anyone” and that even in his charges, it says he wasn’t hurting people.

When asked did he ever think about getting caught, Jermaine confessed to being prepared for that moment:

“I always mentally prepared myself for being caught…nothing last forever.” His additional advice for young folks – “be prepared for the outcome”. [When those police lights came on], “I knew oh this is the day. The officers didn’t treat me like crap. The officers knew who I was before the deal went down. When we got to the station, the TV cameras were all there to do interviews.”

So, what else is Jermaine up to nowadays? In more recent years, he’s worked on a film that tackled drug dealing; it was already shot before his situation happened. He had a reality TV show, Here Comes The Hopkins, where he introduced his family to the world.

The “Lean On Me” star knows that fans still think he’s that same little kid stuck on the roof in “Lean On Me,” or as the teenaged character, “Steele,” in “Juice.”  However, he now has a 20-something year old son, a young daughter, a granddaughter; and a wife whom he credited as being his real backbone.

Speaking of “Lean On Me,” Jermaine Hopkins and the his former cast mates [from the bathroom-singing scene in “Lean On Me”] reunited a few years ago for the film’s 25^th anniversary to sing the alma mater again. And they’ve still got it! By the way, who knew Jermaine could actually sing? All these years I thought he was lip-synching in the movie, but…guess I was wrong. Anywho…check them out on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show below…

The post “Lean On Me” And “Juice” Actor Explained How He Was Caught With $100K+ In Major Drug Bust appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actress, Lynne Thigpen, had roles in many films and TV shows, such as Tootsie, The District, and Anger Management, but most of us remember here on ILoveOldSchoolMusic.com remember her as “Leonna Barrett” in Lean On Me. She played the disgruntled parent of an expelled student in the film and when “Mr. Clark” (Morgan Freeman) kicked her out of the parent meeting it was CLASSIC!

We wanted shed some light on a few facts about this phenomenal actress that many of us didn’t know. Ms. Thigpen passed away on March 12, 2003 at the age of 54. Apparently her death was a shock to everyone, including her close family and friends because she had no known history of illnesses and otherwise appeared to be a healthy woman.

Sadly, Lynne was found dead at her home in Marina del Rey, Calif., by her friend. The official coroner’s report stated that she died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In the few days leading up to her last breathe, Lynne had been suffering from a severe headache. There was no foul play, nor any other external factors that were found to have contributed to her passing.

Ms. Thigpen’s death is just one of those tragic and unpredictable reminders that life is extremely short and we need to do our best to pay close attention to any warning signs our bodies give us. This is a grown folks community, so most of us are in the age bracket where health issues become more of a threat. Let’s face it, we’re not 20 year olds anymore, we’re wiser, smarter, but also more health risk prone than our younger selves. So please let’s not take it for granted family.

One old school fun fact about Lynne Thigpen is that she was a school teacher before the world came to know her as the incredible actress she was. I guess you could say that even in death Ms. Thigpen is still teaching lessons- lessons about life, success and health. Thank you Lynne and may you continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old School news with a new point of view.

The post Legendary “Lean On Me” Actress Sadly Passed Away With Little Fanfare appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Beverly Todd who is best known for her roles in “Lean On Me,” “Moving,” Bucket List,” and “A Piece Of The Action” has had to go through something no parent should ever have to experience and that is the death of her son when he was just 18 years old.

Her son, Malik Smith, was murdered in 1989 when Todd was in the middle of promoting the ’89 film, “Lean On Me” and unfortunately the details surrounding his murder and the justice he did not get, are still very relevant issues in today’s society. Malik was killed during a club brawl while he was on a vacation in Salt Lake City, UT during his freshmen year in college. During the fight with an 18 year old, he was punched hard in the head and fell back, hitting his head on the floor, leaving him brain dead as he lay on the dance floor of the club.

Soon after his murder trial, Beverly Todd began to voice her frustration and her disappointment with the type of justice, or lack thereof, that her son received after the court gave a very weak sentence to his murderer.

Malik’s killer, John Leota, was also 18 when he claimed the life of Malik. His original sentence of second degree murder was reduced to misdemeanor homicide and he only served EIGHT MONTHS IN JAIL for Malik’s death.

Beverly Todd expressed her outrage to did with LA Times at that time:

‘”A misdemeanor!” Todd says, with disbelief. “That’s for throwing paper on the sidewalk or for spitting, that’s not for taking someone’s life.” But instead of being disabled by rage or indignation, she has been working to have the homicide laws of Utah toughened.’

THE DEADLY INCIDENT WAS APPARENTLY OVER JEALOUSLY OF MALIK’S DANCING SKILLS:

‘Malik was a terrific dancer, and that was apparently what provoked the young man who killed him. While on vacation, Malik and a friend had gone with the friend’s cousin to a teen-age dance club (no alcohol) in suburban Salt Lake City. Malik had stayed behind when his companions left to get something to eat. He stayed because the deejay finally played a song he especially liked, and he got up and danced, all by himself. He was having fun….The 800-page transcript of Leota’s trial doesn’t answer all the questions it raises. Malik may or may not have beckoned girlfriends of Leota to join him.

Leota, who had a long history of trouble with the law, was angry. He’d fought with two other young men that same night in Club 35…A witness said Malik was backing away when Leota hit him so hard that Malik was lifted six inches off the ground. Malik’s head struck something as he fell. Then Leota, who testified that he had not intended to kill Malik, kicked him in the head. When Todd got the phone call that every parent fears most, Malik was only being kept alive by machines. He died two days later, on March 20, 1989.’

WHOOPI GOLDBERG & OTHERS PROTEST MALIK’S KILLER’S SENTENCE:

Beverly says Utah’s justice system during that time was heavily biased, based on religion and racial tensions. Her son’s murderer was a member of the popular church in Utah at that time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon religion). This is what she said about that:

“I really feel that we didn’t get fairness in Utah,” says Todd, who points to Leota’s conviction on a misdemeanor charge and his one-year sentence as evidence of pro-Mormon bias in the Utah courtroom.

There was also racial tension throughout the trial, she says. Leota is of Tongan ancestry. After friends of Todd and Keiser, including Whoopi Goldberg, wrote to the judge, protesting Leota’s conviction on a misdemeanor, members of the Polynesian community in Utah held a press conference and described Todd and her friends as “wealthy Hollywood blacks” who were trying to deny Leota justice by putting pressure on the judge. A Polynesian attorney told the press: “We, the Polynesian community and citizens of Utah, say to these celebrities, Utah is a law-abiding state. We demand you let the judicial process go forward. We do not want the legal process to be influenced in any way.”‘

Todd denied that and said that both she and her husband kept a low key profile throughout the trial for this reason:

“You get very fearful about causing too much of a stir in terms of making it a mistrial or doing something else that’s going to jeopardize the outcome. You want everything to turn out right so that you get justice. And so when they started complaining about these people coming up from Hollywood that were from the NAACP, we asked them not to come back because we didn’t want to cloud the issues or to cover up what was the real issue, which was the murder,” says Beverly Todd.

This is just another reminder that although it has been over three decades since Beverly’s beloved son was killed, the more things change, the more they sadly stay the same. Unfortunately, there is still an increasingly growing number of parents who are in the exact same helpless position as Beverly Todd was in when her son’s life was reduced to an outcome of a misdemeanor charge and his killer spending just 8 short months in jail.

Although Beverly Todd has continued to work and looks amazing at the age of 75 years young, she said that she will always have pain over the death of her son: “Because your child is dead, doesn’t mean that you stop being a parent. You still think about your kid. It’s just that the thoughts have no place to go.”

The post Son Of “Lean On Me Actress” Killed For Senseless Reason And She Was Angered Over Court Ruling appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Today, Hopkins is a family man. During a prior radio interview, Jermaine spilled the beans on the harsh realities of succumbing to the pressures of being an actor and taking care of the household, while still having to maintain a certain lifestyle even when said actor may not be in-demand at the moment.

Jermaine Hopkins was arrested for 200 pounds of marijuana, which was reportedly stashed in his car when the cops pulled him over in December 2011. He also said the officers went to his house and found another 100 pounds, as well as $100,000 in cash. According to Hopkins, he was driving a “nice little SUV” to hold the drugs and an undercover cop just pulled him over on the highway, while driving from North Carolina to Phoenix, Arizona. He faced up to five years in jail, but ultimately ended up serving 30 days in jail and three years’ probation.

Unfortunately, Jermaine was arrested again in October 2017 for reportedly having 5.7 pounds of weed in the trunk of his car, while in Apex, North Carolina. The judge over his case suspended his four-month sentence, giving Hopkins a 24-month of supervised probation sentence instead.

When his case was still ongoing, Jermaine spoke out on his then-pending charges. Below are excerpts from his TMZ interview:

“It’s still an on-going case thanks to TMZ,” says [Jermaine] Hopkins. “But I’m a family man and I was taking care of the family. But I’m sure TMZ will let everyone know” (what happens) he added. God is my ace in the hole. I’m glad it wasn’t a shame game. I feel bad because I didn’t know how many fans I really had…but they came out in support. But I keep the faith.” 

Jermaine also said that he “wasn’t out there hurting anyone” and that even in his charges, it says he wasn’t hurting people.

When asked did he ever think about getting caught, Jermaine confessed to being prepared for that moment:

“I always mentally prepared myself for being caught…nothing last forever.” His additional advice for young folks – “be prepared for the outcome”. [When those police lights came on], “I knew oh this is the day. The officers didn’t treat me like crap. The officers knew who I was before the deal went down. When we got to the station, the TV cameras were all there to do interviews.”

So, what else is Jermaine up to nowadays? In more recent years, he’s worked on a film that tackled drug dealing; it was already shot before his situation happened. He had a reality TV show, Here Comes The Hopkins, where he introduced his family to the world.

The “Lean On Me” star knows that fans still think he’s that same little kid stuck on the roof in “Lean On Me,” or as the teenaged character, “Steele,” in “Juice.”  However, he now has a 20-something year old son, a young daughter, a granddaughter; and a wife whom he credited as being his real backbone.

Speaking of “Lean On Me,” Jermaine Hopkins and the his former cast mates [from the bathroom-singing scene in “Lean On Me”] reunited a few years ago for the film’s 25^th anniversary to sing the alma mater again. And they’ve still got it! By the way, who knew Jermaine could actually sing? All these years I thought he was lip-synching in the movie, but…guess I was wrong. Anywho…check them out on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show below…

The post “Lean On Me” And “Juice” Actor Revealed Being Caught With $100K+ In Major Drug Bust appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actress, Lynne Thigpen, had roles in many films and TV shows, such as Tootsie, The District, and Anger Management, but most of us remember here on ILoveOldSchoolMusic.com remember her as “Leonna Barrett” in Lean On Me. She played the disgruntled parent of an expelled student in the film and when “Mr. Clark” (Morgan Freeman) kicked her out of the parent meeting it was CLASSIC!

We wanted shed some light on a few facts about this phenomenal actress that many of us didn’t know. Ms. Thigpen passed away on March 12, 2003 at the age of 54. Apparently her death was a shock to everyone, including her close family and friends because she had no known history of illnesses and otherwise appeared to be a healthy woman.

Sadly, Lynne was found dead at her home in Marina del Rey, Calif., by her friend. The official coroner’s report stated that she died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In the few days leading up to her last breathe, Lynne had been suffering from a severe headache. There was no foul play, nor any other external factors that were found to have contributed to her passing.

Ms. Thigpen’s death is just one of those tragic and unpredictable reminders that life is extremely short and we need to do our best to pay close attention to any warning signs our bodies give us. This is a grown folks community, so most of us are in the age bracket where health issues become more of a threat. Let’s face it, we’re not 20 year olds anymore, we’re wiser, smarter, but also more health risk prone than our younger selves. So please let’s not take it for granted family.

One old school fun fact about Lynne Thigpen is that she was a school teacher before the world came to know her as the incredible actress she was. I guess you could say that even in death Ms. Thigpen is still teaching lessons- lessons about life, success and health. Thank you Lynne and may you continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old School news with a new point of view.

The post Legendary “Lean On Me” Actress Sadly Passed Away With Very Little Fanfare appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Actress, Lynne Thigpen, had roles in many films and TV shows, such as Tootsie, The District, and Anger Management, but most of us remember here on ILoveOldSchoolMusic.com remember her as “Leonna Barrett” in Lean On Me. She played the disgruntled parent of an expelled student in the film and when “Mr. Clark” (Morgan Freeman) kicked her out of the parent meeting it was CLASSIC!

We wanted shed some light on a few facts about this phenomenal actress that many of us didn’t know. Ms. Thigpen passed away on March 12, 2003 at the age of 54. Apparently her death was a shock to everyone, including her close family and friends because she had no known history of illnesses and otherwise appeared to be a healthy woman.

Sadly, Lynne was found dead at her home in Marina del Rey, Calif., by her friend. The official coroner’s report stated that she died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In the few days leading up to her last breathe, Lynne had been suffering from a severe headache. There was no foul play, nor any other external factors that were found to have contributed to her passing.

Ms. Thigpen’s death is just one of those tragic and unpredictable reminders that life is extremely short and we need to do our best to pay close attention to any warning signs our bodies give us. This is a grown folks community, so most of us are in the age bracket where health issues become more of a threat. Let’s face it, we’re not 20 year olds anymore, we’re wiser, smarter, but also more health risk prone than our younger selves. So please let’s not take it for granted family.

One old school fun fact about Lynne Thigpen is that she was a school teacher before the world came to know her as the incredible actress she was. I guess you could say that even in death Ms. Thigpen is still teaching lessons- lessons about life, success and health. Thank you Lynne and may you continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old School news with a new point of view.

The post This “Lean On Me” Actress Sadly Passed Away With Very Little Fanfare appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Today, Hopkins is a family man and he was on a radio show recently to promote his new ventures, when the subject arose about his recent charges. He spilled the beans on the harsh realities of succumbing to the pressures of being an actor and taking care of the household, while still having to maintain a certain lifestyle even when you’re not in demand at the moment.

He says he was arrested for 200 pounds of marijuana that was stashed in his car when the cops pulled him over. He also said the officers went to his house and found another 100 pounds, as well as $100,000 in cash. According to Hopkins, he was driving a “nice little SUV” to hold the drugs and an undercover cop just pulled him over on the highway, while driving from North Carolina to Phoenix, Arizona. He faces up to

The post This “Lean On Me” Actor Reveals Being Caught With A $100K+ In Drug Bust appeared first on I Love Old School Music.