Don Cornelius commits suicide

Tragic news hit us today. As Time reports, Soul Train creator/host Don Cornelius was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, California home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In 1970, Cornelius, a former Chicago disc jockey and radio reporter, launched Soul Train, an R&B-themed dance show on WCIU and moved it to syndication the next year with stations in several cities picking it up. The show later moved to Los Angeles and became an instant hit. The show ran in syndication for 25 years before it went off the air in 2006.

Cornelius also went through personal drama due to bitter divorce proceedings in 2009. The consequence was that Cornelius suffered “significant health issues” and wanted to “finalize this divorce before I die.” In 2008, Cornelius was arrested beating up his wife. He pled no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence and was placed on three years probation. His probation just terminated and the divorce was granted in 2010. Rest in Peace.