Welcome! Check out today's deaths, recent deaths, or our deaths stats.
Feeling experimental? Head on over to our newest (and darkest) feature: Next-2-Die™ predictions
Amiri Baraka
African-american writer (1934-2014).
Born October 7th, 1934 in Newark. [ref]
Died January 9th, 2014 at 79 years old in Newark (surgical complications). [ref]
Amiri Baraka, 79, passed away on January 9, 2014. Baraka was born in 1934 in Newark, NJ as LeRoi Jones and was one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century. He was an award-winning playwright, poet, fiction writer, essayist, and political activist, producing dozens of books, plays, and recordings. Baraka received numerous awards during his lifetime, including both an Obie and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in 1984. He was dubbed poet laureate of New Jersey from 2002-2003. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Amina Baraka, and their two daughters, Obie Award-winning playwright Dominique and Lisa; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his former partner, Hettie Jones, and his son with Jones, writer-journalist Kell.
To the most trivial actions, attach the devotion and mindfulness of a hundred monks. To matters of life and death, attach a sense of humor. Zhuangzi