Animated Views Celebrity Obituary Thread
-
- AV Team
- Posts: 1835
- Joined: March 27th, 2008
Voice of Chef gone for good; Isaac Hayes dies at 65
Courtesy of Yahoo
Isaac Hayes, the baldheaded, baritone-voiced soul crooner who laid the groundwork for disco and whose "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near a treadmill, authorities said. He was 65.
Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis an hour after he was found by a family member, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. The cause of death was not immediately known.
With his muscular build, shiny head and sunglasses, Hayes cut a striking figure at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting Afros. His music, which came to be known as urban-contemporary, paved the way for disco as well as romantic crooners like Barry White.
And in his spoken-word introductions and interludes, Hayes was essentially rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes — the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."
Hayes was about to begin work on a new album for Stax, the soul record label he helped build to legendary status. And he had recently finished work on a movie called "Soul Men" in which he played himself, starring Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died on Saturday.
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.
"The treadmill was running but he was unresponsive lying on the floor," Shular said.
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man."
All this led to his recording contract.
In 1972, he won another Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced. Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner" besides "Shaft." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996. Additionally, he was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and had radio shows in New York City (1996 to 2002) and then in Memphis.
He was in several movies, including "It Could Happen to You" with Nicolas Cage, "Ninth Street" with Martin Sheen, "Reindeer Games" starring Ben Affleck and the blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."
In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'wack' category like everybody else in town — and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."
But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion.
"There is a place in this world for satire," he said. "but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins."
Co-creator creators Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.
Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tenn., about 40 miles north of Memphis. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died and his father took off when he was 1 1/2. The family moved to Memphis when he was 6.
Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole's "Looking Back."
He held down various low-paying jobs, including shining shoes on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis. He also played gigs in rural Southern juke joints where at times he had to hit the floor because someone began shooting.
Isaac Hayes, the baldheaded, baritone-voiced soul crooner who laid the groundwork for disco and whose "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, died Sunday afternoon after he collapsed near a treadmill, authorities said. He was 65.
Hayes was pronounced dead at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis an hour after he was found by a family member, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said. The cause of death was not immediately known.
With his muscular build, shiny head and sunglasses, Hayes cut a striking figure at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting Afros. His music, which came to be known as urban-contemporary, paved the way for disco as well as romantic crooners like Barry White.
And in his spoken-word introductions and interludes, Hayes was essentially rapping before there was rap. His career hit another high in 1997 when he became the voice of Chef, the sensible school cook and devoted ladies man on the animated TV show "South Park."
"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that's soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes — the expression ... the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."
Hayes was about to begin work on a new album for Stax, the soul record label he helped build to legendary status. And he had recently finished work on a movie called "Soul Men" in which he played himself, starring Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac, who died on Saturday.
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.
"The treadmill was running but he was unresponsive lying on the floor," Shular said.
The album "Hot Buttered Soul" made Hayes a star in 1969. His shaven head, gold chains and sunglasses gave him a compelling visual image.
"Hot Buttered Soul" was groundbreaking in several ways: He sang in a "cool" style unlike the usual histrionics of big-time soul singers. He prefaced the song with "raps," and the numbers ran longer than three minutes with lush arrangements.
"Jocks would play it at night," Hayes recalled in a 1999 Associated Press interview. "They could go to the bathroom, they could get a sandwich, or whatever."
Next came "Theme From Shaft," a No. 1 hit in 1971 from the film "Shaft" starring Richard Roundtree.
"That was like the shot heard round the world," Hayes said in the 1999 interview.
At the Oscar ceremony in 1972, Hayes performed the song wearing an eye-popping amount of gold and received a standing ovation. TV Guide later chose it as No. 18 in its list of television's 25 most memorable moments. He won an Academy Award for the song and was nominated for another one for the score. The song and score also won him two Grammys.
"The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence," he said. "And they'll tell you if you ask."
Hayes was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I knew nothing about the business, or trends and things like that," he said. "I think it was a matter of timing. I didn't know what was unfolding."
A self-taught musician, he was hired in 1964 by Stax Records of Memphis as a backup pianist, working as a session musician for Otis Redding and others. He also played saxophone.
He began writing songs, establishing a songwriting partnership with David Porter, and in the 1960s they wrote such hits for Sam and Dave as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man."
All this led to his recording contract.
In 1972, he won another Grammy for his album "Black Moses" and earned a nickname he reluctantly embraced. Hayes composed film scores for "Tough Guys" and "Truck Turner" besides "Shaft." He also did the song "Two Cool Guys" on the "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" movie soundtrack in 1996. Additionally, he was the voice of Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" and had radio shows in New York City (1996 to 2002) and then in Memphis.
He was in several movies, including "It Could Happen to You" with Nicolas Cage, "Ninth Street" with Martin Sheen, "Reindeer Games" starring Ben Affleck and the blaxploitation parody "I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka."
In the 1999 interview, Hayes described the South Park cook as "a person that speaks his mind; he's sensitive enough to care for children; he's wise enough to not be put into the 'wack' category like everybody else in town — and he l-o-o-o-o-ves the ladies."
But Hayes angrily quit the show in 2006 after an episode mocked his Scientology religion.
"There is a place in this world for satire," he said. "but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins."
Co-creator creators Matt Stone responded that Hayes "has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." A subsequent episode of the show seemingly killed off the Chef character.
Hayes was born in 1942 in a tin shack in Covington, Tenn., about 40 miles north of Memphis. He was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died and his father took off when he was 1 1/2. The family moved to Memphis when he was 6.
Hayes wanted to be a doctor, but got redirected when he won a talent contest in ninth grade by singing Nat King Cole's "Looking Back."
He held down various low-paying jobs, including shining shoes on the legendary Beale Street in Memphis. He also played gigs in rural Southern juke joints where at times he had to hit the floor because someone began shooting.
-
- AV Founder
- Posts: 25716
- Joined: October 22nd, 2004
- Location: London, UK
-
- AV Forum Member
- Posts: 1347
- Joined: January 23rd, 2006
- Location: The Middle of Nowhere
-
- AV Forum Member
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: December 16th, 2004
- Location: Burbank, Calif.
The scene in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in which Isaac Hayes puts a gun into every conceivable pocket (because "You can never have enough") -- only to slip on a bullet casing and fall to the ground, simultaneously setting-off every gun on his person -- never fails to make me laugh and laugh. 
Because, after all .. as we later find out .. he's okay! Turns out none of those bullets hit any major organs.
--------
That said, it is sad that he's gone.
I've never much cared for South Park, personally .. but his 'Chef' character was a lot of fun. I hope Parker & Stone have the dignity to keep the character 'retired' from the series. (I'm only just learning of the ignominious way he was apparently written off the show) 
Because, after all .. as we later find out .. he's okay! Turns out none of those bullets hit any major organs.
--------
That said, it is sad that he's gone.
I've never much cared for South Park, personally .. but his 'Chef' character was a lot of fun. I hope Parker & Stone have the dignity to keep the character 'retired' from the series. (I'm only just learning of the ignominious way he was apparently written off the show) Wow.
2 for 2 this past weekend. Bernie Mac, then Isaac Hayes.
And, if you haven't been paying attention, it's strongly rumored that Paul Newman (82/83) doesn't have much longer, either.
Newman was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment for cancer but recently decided to quit because it was making him too sick and weak. He's already been in a wheelchair for a while so that's got to be rough.
The latest word is that he probably only has a few weeks to months to live.
Hayes' passing was a shock for sure, but he had been sick for a while and had a stroke less than two years ago.
Bernie Mac, 50, was the big surprise and a really sad loss though it was mentioned that he a had nasty lung condition that made him susceptible to pneumonia. Pneumonia -- almost NOBODY dies from that anymore unless they really don't want to go to the hospital.
******************
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka -- ah, a title I haven't heard in a while...
That film was definitely one of the funnniest movies of the 80's and the real launching point for the careers of the truly funny Wayans Brothers (Keenen and Damon). There wasn't a bad actor in that film, either. There were at least a half-dozen future In Living Color castmembers in the film, too.
While the current DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen transfer, it lacks extras! C'mon, Fox -- at least throw in a nice commentary track the next DVD/Blu-Ray edition this film gets! It's a ridiculously undervalued film.
2 for 2 this past weekend. Bernie Mac, then Isaac Hayes.
And, if you haven't been paying attention, it's strongly rumored that Paul Newman (82/83) doesn't have much longer, either.
Newman was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatment for cancer but recently decided to quit because it was making him too sick and weak. He's already been in a wheelchair for a while so that's got to be rough.
The latest word is that he probably only has a few weeks to months to live.
Hayes' passing was a shock for sure, but he had been sick for a while and had a stroke less than two years ago.
Bernie Mac, 50, was the big surprise and a really sad loss though it was mentioned that he a had nasty lung condition that made him susceptible to pneumonia. Pneumonia -- almost NOBODY dies from that anymore unless they really don't want to go to the hospital.
******************
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka -- ah, a title I haven't heard in a while...
That film was definitely one of the funnniest movies of the 80's and the real launching point for the careers of the truly funny Wayans Brothers (Keenen and Damon). There wasn't a bad actor in that film, either. There were at least a half-dozen future In Living Color castmembers in the film, too.
While the current DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen transfer, it lacks extras! C'mon, Fox -- at least throw in a nice commentary track the next DVD/Blu-Ray edition this film gets! It's a ridiculously undervalued film.
King of Voiceovers dies...
RIP, Don LaFontaine...
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5heec ... QD92UP5102
He was 68.
Every one of us who has ever sat in a theater during (American English) trailers has heard this guy's voice!
He was an icon!
****************
Jerry Reed has also died at age 71 from complications to due to emphysema (heavy smoking).
Yet another icon has passed on...
Edited for new article link... Old link had nasty stuff about Duchovny below it. We do want to keep the site PG or less, right?
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5heec ... QD92UP5102
He was 68.
Every one of us who has ever sat in a theater during (American English) trailers has heard this guy's voice!
He was an icon!
****************
Jerry Reed has also died at age 71 from complications to due to emphysema (heavy smoking).
Yet another icon has passed on...
Edited for new article link... Old link had nasty stuff about Duchovny below it. We do want to keep the site PG or less, right?
-
- AV Forum Member
- Posts: 1347
- Joined: January 23rd, 2006
- Location: The Middle of Nowhere
One of the best bits Don Lafontaine ever did IMO was narrating a short animated segment of the documentary film "For The Bible Tells Me So". The film is very good, for those of you that like docs, and LaFontaine's segment got the biggest laughter at the screening I went to last year.
EDIT: Found it.
EDIT: Found it.
The Official Lugofilm Ltd Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bartsimpson83
-
- AV Founder
- Posts: 25716
- Joined: October 22nd, 2004
- Location: London, UK
Wow, that is out of the blue. RIP, "The Voice".
Sad...I nearly met the guy once during a voice over session. I was in the next recording booth and, during a break, a guy walked past. The producer I was with said, "hey, you know who that was? Don LaFontaine. Wanna meet him"? Yeah, I said, but it was getting late, the guys <I>he</I> was recording with were running over and wanted to get out, and so he had to get back to work. The producer I was with said not to worry, that they wouldn't get done that night and would be back tomorrow. Of course, Don was such a professional, and so much in demand, that they worked into the night and wrapped...he was off to another gig the next day!
Very nice profile here:
Sad...I nearly met the guy once during a voice over session. I was in the next recording booth and, during a break, a guy walked past. The producer I was with said, "hey, you know who that was? Don LaFontaine. Wanna meet him"? Yeah, I said, but it was getting late, the guys <I>he</I> was recording with were running over and wanted to get out, and so he had to get back to work. The producer I was with said not to worry, that they wouldn't get done that night and would be back tomorrow. Of course, Don was such a professional, and so much in demand, that they worked into the night and wrapped...he was off to another gig the next day!
Very nice profile here: