Donald Cortez Cornelius was an American television show host and producer widely known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance and music show Soul Train, which he hosted from 1970 until 1993.
17 Facts About Don Cornelius
2.
Don Cornelius worked at various jobs following his stint in the military, including selling tires, automobiles, and insurance, and as an officer with the Chicago Police Department.
3.
Don Cornelius quit his day job to take a three-month broadcasting course in 1966, despite being married with two sons and having only $400 in his bank account.
4.
Don Cornelius joined Chicago television station WCIU-TV in 1967 and hosted a news program called A Black's View of the News.
5.
Originally a journalist and inspired by the civil rights movement, Don Cornelius recognized that in the late 1960s there were very few television venues in the United States for soul music.
6.
Don Cornelius introduced many African-American musicians to a larger audience as a result of their appearances on Soul Train, a program that was both influential among African-Americans and popular with a wider audience.
7.
Don Cornelius said, "We had a show that kids gravitated to," and Spike Lee described the program as an "urban music time capsule".
8.
Don Cornelius had a small number of film roles, such as record producer Moe Fuzz in 1988's Tapeheads and a fictional version of himself in 1987's The Return of Bruno, a mockumentary about fictional singer Bruno Radolini, portrayed by Bruce Willis.
9.
Don Cornelius last appeared on the episode of the TV series Unsung featuring Full Force, which was aired two days before his death.
10.
In October 2008, Don Cornelius was arrested at his Los Angeles home on Mulholland Drive on a felony domestic violence charge.
11.
Don Cornelius appeared in court in November 2008, and was charged with spousal abuse and dissuading a witness from filing a police report.
12.
Don Cornelius appeared in court again in December 2008, and pleaded not guilty to spousal abuse.
13.
Don Cornelius was banned from going near his estranged wife, Russian model Victoria Avila-Cornelius, who had obtained two restraining orders against him.
14.
Don Cornelius was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at the age of 75.
15.
An autopsy found that Don Cornelius had been suffering from seizures during the last 15 years of his life, a complication of a 21-hour brain operation he underwent in 1982 to correct a congenital deformity in his cerebral arteries.
16.
Don Cornelius admitted that he was never quite the same after that surgery, and it was a factor in his decision to retire from hosting Soul Train in 1993.
17.
Don Cornelius's health took a further, sharp decline in the last six months of his life.