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Richard Roundtree, star of the genre-defining blaxploitation series Shaft, has passed away at 81 years old, according to his agency. Per Deadline, Roundtree died Monday afternoon surrounded by family, after a brief bout with pancreatic cancer. A statement from his representatives reads: “Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree,” the agency said in a statement. “His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” ....Snip..... At the...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- 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...

Being an international icon didn't mean that Isaac Hayes did not also appreciate the love he received in his own hometown. In three baggage claim areas at Memphis International Airport, oversized images welcome the world to the home of Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Isaac Hayes. "Isaac was very, very proud of that," says Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau president Kevin Kane. As Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer pointed out, Hayes came to embody the Memphis creative spirit: "He was an American icon and also a true Memphis icon. He was really our artist, and an artist in the true sense...

In life, Isaac Hayes was the last person to reflect on his past glories or celebrate his remarkable achievements; in death, the world is doing it for him. It began just hours after news broke Sunday afternoon that Hayes, 65, had died at his home in Memphis, discovered by his family next to a still-running treadmill in his master bedroom. Tributes poured in from every corner of the globe, mourning the loss, not just of a musician and entertainer, but an artistic innovator and cultural icon. Nowhere was that loss felt more dramatically than in Hayes’ hometown of Memphis, specifically...

Chef's Quitting Controversy Monday , March 20, 2006 By Roger Friedman Isaac Hayes did not quit "South Park." My sources say that someone quit it for him. I can tell you that Hayes is in no position to have quit anything. Contrary to news reports, the great writer, singer and musician suffered a stroke on Jan. 17. At the time it was said that he was hospitalized and suffering from exhaustion. It’s also absolutely ridiculous to think that Hayes, who loved playing Chef on "South Park," would suddenly turn against the show because they were poking fun at Scientology. Last...