I was pretty young when it came out, but I do remember that it was kind of controversial—the fact that she was this up-and-coming superstar, and yet in the movie she was killed. Just goes to show how many folks out there think movies are produced in a matter of days, not months or even years.
And also because, as Richard Pryor said, "There ain't no n-----s in it", because "white folks ain't plannin' for us to be here."