Don Cornelius, the creator and longtime host of Soul Train, died on Wednesday morning of
an apparent suicide. He was 75 years old.
Cornelius, who created Soul
Train in 1970 in Chicago, is credited with introducing some of the greatest
African American artists to television with one of the first shows to feature African American talent. Soul Train later became one of the longest-running syndicated shows
in television.
"I have known him since I was19 years old and James
Brown had me speak on Soul Train,"
The Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement. "He brought soul music and dance
to the world in a way that it had never been shown and he was a cultural game
changer on a global level."
Cornelius left Soul
Train as host in 1993. In recent years, Cornelius struggled with both his
health and personal life, having been charged with spousal battery and later
divorcing in 2009.
