R.I.P.-People lost in 2005

At the end of every year, we often remember people who died during the year.

For me, this year really was personal as I lost my mother in 2005.
She had suffered from diabetes complications including a severe stroke in which she never fully recovered.



Along with my mother were many notable people who died this year. Many of these people were cherished by my mother and me while I was growing up.

I grew up listening to my mother's favorite music entertainers. People like Tyrone Davis, Little Milton, Lyn "The Female Preacher" Collins and Luther Vandross.


Other music legends you may not know of and we lost in 2005 include:
Reynaldo "Obie" Benson, one of the original members of The Four Tops.
Ray Davis, one of the founding members of Parliament-Funkadelic
Willie Hutch, singer and songwriter best known for his soundtrack for "The Mack" (1973)
R.L. Burnside , blues singer
Bobby Short & Shirley Horn, famous jazz vocalists

In mother's later years, they called her "Miss Ellie". I don't know how that started. Her first name was Elerwene. Maybe thats how it started. Anyway, speaking of "Miss Ellie", the matriarch of the Ewing family on my mother's all time favorate TV show "Dallas"...Barbara Bel Geddes died in 2005. And Peter Jennings died just four months after discovering he had cancer.

THE king of comedy, Richard Pryor died in 2005. So did comedian Nipsey Russell,
actors Brock Peters and the great Ossie Davis

History makers and pioneers lost in 2005 include:

Shirley Chisholm, 1st black woman elected to congress in NY.
John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazine

And Rosa Parks died in Detroit.

She was mourned from Montgomery to Michigan. And all points in between.

The year 2005 lost Pope John Paul II, Ruth Warrick, Johnny Carson, Bob Denver, Don Adams, Frank Perdue, August Wilson and Anne Bancroft among others.

And I lost my only pet as an adult

My cat Sterling.
(2000-2005)

It was fun having a cat around the house but Sterling wanted to be outside more than inside. And Sterling ruled the back yard for 4 years.

May everyone who passed away in 2005 rest in peace.

Thanks to every one of you for your contributions to the world.