Rick James

1948-2004

The creator of the hit "Super Freak" RICK JAMES has died, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to ET. No details regarding his death were immediately available and the investigation is ongoing. The 56-year-old funk star was best known for his 1981 hit "Super Freak." He later fell victim to a crack cocaine addiction that led to a conviction for assaulting and holding a woman against her will. In 1998, James suffered a stroke. Just two months ago, James took the stage to receive a special ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in Beverly Hills.

http://et.tv.yahoo.com/newslink/index.html#l1

I'm not trying to be a dick, but I don't see any reason to give this guy any sympathy.

No comment…I'm sure everyone is thinking the same thing anyway.

He died, huh? I suppose that makes him fair game for a big screen biopic. I can almost see Will Smith circling already.

Originally posted by pepper*sans*salt:
He died, huh? I suppose that makes him fair game for a big screen biopic. I can almost see Will Smith circling already.

i thought I read they were already going to do one with Dave Chapelle playing him, maybe that was a joke

I think Chappelle already signed up to do his movie last week or something. He must have an inside tip on this headline.

Originally posted by pollard:

Originally posted by pepper*sans*salt:
He died, huh? I suppose that makes him fair game for a big screen biopic. I can almost see Will Smith circling already.

i thought I read they were already going to do one with Dave Chapelle playing him, maybe that was a joke

Damn I was too slow!!!!

The Mynah Birds
(from allmusic.com)

It seems impossible to believe, but it really happened: for a short time in early 1966, Rick James and Neil Young were in the same band. The group, called the Mynah Birds, also included bassist Bruce Palmer, who, with Young, would go on to Buffalo Springfield shortly after the Mynah Birds split. It is difficult to determine exactly what the Mynah Birds might have sounded like, though, because although they did an album's worth of material for Motown, nothing from those sessions has ever been released.

It would appear Rick was a bit of a superfreak then too…

Shortly after Young joined, the Mynah Birds were signed by Motown, in one of its very first ventures into the rock band market. They recorded 16 songs, according to Bruce Palmer, but the sessions were abruptly halted when Rick James was taken away by authorities for being AWOL from the U.S. Navy. The rest of the band, although they had known James was American, had no idea that he was evading the military. That spelled the end of the Mynah Birds, who broke up in March 1966. Fortunately for the musicians, although they had signed a long-term contract with Motown, this was canceled, freeing Young and Palmer to record with Buffalo Springfield with no complications.


more bio stuff at allmuic.com

Originally posted by pollard:
i thought I read they were already going to do one with Dave Chapelle playing him, maybe that was a joke

Chapelle did a great sketch on him last season. A true must see. Some of the best comedy I've seen in a long time.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
I'm not trying to be a dick, but I don't see any reason to give this guy any sympathy.

Who's giving him sympathy? Someone reported he died…

rest in peace, bitch! :)

To quote Bill Maher, "The only healthy thing Rick James did was go down on a vegetarian".

Shocker here:

James' Death Drug Related

Funk legend's autopsy reveals traces of nine drugs

Toxicology tests revealed traces of drugs in funk legend Rick James' system.
The fifty-six-year-old artist's August 6th death by heart attack was initially attributed to "natural causes" by the family, but the Los Angeles County coroner has concluded that a combination of nine drugs likely contributed to James' death. The substances discovered include cocaine, methamphetamine, painkiller Vicodin, and anti-depressants Xanax and Wellbutrin.

James, the funk artist best known for his 1981 hit "Super Freak," had struggled with a crack addiction for years, leading to two years in a California prison for assault in 1993. Before his death, James had claimed to have been sober since his release.

ALEX MAR
(Posted Sep 17, 2004)

Originally posted by chaz:
Shocker here:

James' Death Drug Related

Funk legend's autopsy reveals traces of nine drugs

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