R.I.P. The Liberal Lion– Ted Kennedy

“The last brother” Ted Kennedy passed this morning after losing his battle with brain cancer.  He was 77.

“Senator Edward Kennedy dies at age 77″ (Yahoo)

“Politicians React” (Yahoo)

Isaac Hayes Dead at 65

Unbelievable. Bernie Mac dies yesterday and now Isaac Hayes dies today. And what is even more eerie about their deaths is that they recently completed a movie together with Samuel L. Jackson called “Soul Men”. According to the Associated Press, Hayes died this afternoon after collapsing by a treadmill in his home. From the AP:

“Steve Shular, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said authorities received a 911 call after Hayes’ wife and young son and his wife’s cousin returned home from the grocery store and found him collapsed in a downstairs bedroom. A sheriff’s deputy administered CPR until paramedics arrived.”

It’s common knowledge that Hayes wrote and composed the theme music for “Shaft”, but he had so many other great hits like “Walk on By” and “I Stand Accused”. He also wrote hits for Sam & Dave, like “Soul Man”, “Hold On, I’m Coming”, and “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby”. And of course he was famous to the Gen-Y audience as the voice of Chef on “South Park”. Personally, my first memories of Isaac Hayes was the “The Isaac Hayes Movement” album that my parents had. A bald black man in a coat with zebra stripes. But it was in the movie “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka” that I really became aware of him. Here are two songs that I loved hearing Hayes sing:

Walk On By (which was also used in the Larenz Tate movie “Dead Presidents”)

Chocolate Salty Balls — Sung as Chef from “South Park”.

Another shocking loss of a great entertainer. Many condolences to the Hayes family.

Rest In Peace Bernie Mac

Bernie’s death was so shocking and sad. He was only 50 when he passed yesterday. Here is Bernie on Def Comedy Jam sometime in the 90s with his signature line “I ain’t scared of you muthaf***as. God bless Bernie and his family.