2011 was a year that we experienced some of the most unexpected celebrity deaths in several years. Although some may have been battling an illness, many of these folks seem to die rather suddenly due to drugs, alcohol, a car accident, or a combination of them all.
Flip through the pages and take a look see at all the lives that were lost in 2011, THIS IS PART 2!!
Hip-Hop legend Heavy D was definitely one of the more shocking losses that we saw in 2011. Especially after the blogs and Twitter were all abuzz about his surprise preformance at the BET Hip-Hop awards back in October. The Jamaican-born actor, rapper, producer, and singer died after collapsing outside of his Beverly Hills home.
May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011
Mary Vesta Williams, also known as simply “Vesta”, passed this year after being found in a California hotel room after an apparent overdose. Possibly from sleeping aids that she had been taking because of her chronic insomnia. Her 1989 #1 R&B hit “Congratulations” was the song that solidified her as a star talent.
December 1, 1957 – September 22, 2011
Clarice Taylor is best known for playing Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable’s mother on The Cosby Show and also appearing as Addaperle in the stage play “The Wiz”. She passed due to congestive heart failure at the age of 93 in her New Jersey home.
September 20, 1917 – May 30, 2011
DJ Mehdi (Mehdi Favéris-Essadi) was a French hip-hop/electro/house DJ who worked as one of the premier party-starters in Paris. Sadly, Medhi died when the skylight in his house collapsed onto him and his guests during his best friend’s birthday party.
“I Am Somebody” featuring Chromeo
January 20, 1977 – September 13, 2011
Gil Scott-Heron was a soul and jazz poet as well as a musician and spoken word artist. His albums Pieces Of A Man and Winter In America helped influence and inspire a whole generation of MCs to push hip-hop forward.
“New York Is Killing Me” featuring Nas
April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011
February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011
iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, need we really say more?
Sylvia Robinson
This rapper, singer, producer, label executive was the CEO/Founder of Sugar Hill Records and is recognized as the driving force behind the hit records “Rappers Delight” and “The Message”
March 6, 1936 – September 29, 2011
“Smokin'” Joe Frazier was the 1970 undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, and in 1971 he defeated Muhammad Ali in the bout that was dubbed “The Fight Of The Century”. The South Carolina native was diagnosed with liver cancer in September and died shortly after that in November.
January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011
M-Bone
Montae “M-Bone” Talbert was a member of the young Inglewood, California rap group Cali Swag District. As the group’s dancer M-Bone has been seen cuttin’ a rug at shows and also numerous YouTube videos instructing would-be dancers on how to do “The Jerk” and a variety of other dope moves. Unfortunately, M-Bone was murdered in a drive-by shooting while sitting in his car outside of a liquor store.
