Ossie Davis has just died...

[IrateCitizen]

As reported on WBAI, NYC Pacifica, Ossie Davis passed away this morning at his home in New Rochelle, NY.

Ossie, you will be missed -- not just for your talent as an actor, but most of all for your tirelesspassion as an activist on the side of justice throughout the years.

[Blue_Tires]

1. damn....

i always liked him

[Lautremont]

2. Oh, man! He was an excellent actor

and delivered the eulogy at Malcolm X's funeral, if I'm not mistaken. Even if I am, Bubba Ho-Tep enshrines him in the firmament for me.

Sad to hear this. First John Vernon, now Ossie Davis.

[no_to_war_economy]

3. a real patriot

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

4. Oh my God.

We've lost a champion today, ladies and gentlemen. A real American icon. A great actor, and a great human being.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Awwww...the man was an icon

RIP Ossie

[cmf]

6. Rest in Peace, Ossie

You will be missed. :(

[deutsey]

7. Aw, no!

Damn...:cry:

RIP, Ossie.

[harrison]

8. Damn.

[Fridays Child]

9. Aw, shit.

That's sad news. :(

[brook]

45. When I saw the thread title...

"oh shit" was my reaction too.

My heart goes out to Ruby, his family, friends and fans. He's irreplaceable. A good man, a fine actor, wise and loving and generous.
I worked with him for a few days on a film a long time ago. It was an honor and a joy to be in his presence.

The world is diminished, but Heaven's gained an angel.

[mitchum]

10. Peace to a longtime tireless progressive

a true American hero

[President Jesus]

11. was a generous supporter of Democrats

http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Ossie_Davis.php

[coffeenap]

12. Unfiltered on AAR to run a recent interview in a minute

[itzamirakul]

13. Oh, Ossie...

As someone who has had a career in theatre, I know just how vital your work has been in that area. But NOTHING can touch your honesty and candor as a Civil Rights Activist. How we will ALL miss you.

Ruby...I am so sorry...there are no words to tell you how very much...

What we are is God's gift to us
What we become is our gift to God

Ossie gave God one heck of a marvelous gift.

[oddmanout]

14. Rest in Peace

A fine actor and a great American

[winston61]

15. here is a link

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/news/celebrity/sns-ap-obit-ossie-davis,0,2603449.story?coll=mmx-celebrity_heds

A great actor and human being. If you have not seen Spike Lee's "Get On The Bus' you should, Davis gave an electric, understated performance that for me is unforgettable

[wicket]

16. God bless him

He was truly a gentle soul and he will be missed :(

[Beetwasher]

17. Here's To You Ossie

:toast:

Another good man gone...Max Schmeling too...

[fertilizeonarbusto]

18. That sucks

We'll miss you, sir. Poor Ruby! :cry:

[rogue emissary]

19. He was a great activist, actor and all around American. n/t

[NYCGirl]

20. A great and lovely man. We need more like him in this world. NT

[Skidmore]

21. God rest his soul.

He was a great man.

[Enraged_Ape]

22. The hits just keep on coming

Christopher Reeve, Ray Charles, Johnny Carson, and now Ossie Davis. I don't know how much more of this I can stand.

Don't any evil neocons ever die? Or is the Dark Side of the Force that powerful?

[BadGimp]

23. Anyone see Bubba Ho-Tep

Thank you Ozzie, Thank you very much..

[Lisa]

42. I loved him in that!

"They dyed me this color! That's how clever they are!"

[BadGimp]

50. lol

that was/is a wonderful movie..

[tishaLA]

24. Peace to you, Mr. Davis

I'll have your wife in my heart. It must be devestating to her.

[hector459]

25. R.I.P. Brave soldier and courageous citizen.

eom

[Zan_of_Texas]

26. Aww.....A man with real presence. No one can replace him.

I met him once, very briefly. He had real presence.

His work speaks for itself, on screen, and more importantly, as a man of principle.

Recent photo:



Photo in the 1940s:


PS Newsday said, "Davis was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called "Retirement," according to Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in New Rochelle, N.Y."

[Chovexani]

27. Oh damn.

What a sad day for the progressive movement. Ossie was truly one of the finest warriors we've ever had. (And I loved his acting work too) :cry:

[flygal]

28. Actor Ossie Davis found dead in hotel room

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&ncid=762&e=1&u=/ap/20050204/ap_en_mo/obit_ossie_davis

snip

NEW YORK - Ossie Davis, an actor distinguished for roles dealing with racial injustice on stage, screen and in real life — and perhaps best known as the husband and partner of actress Ruby Dee — has died at the age of 87.


Davis was found dead on Friday in his hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called "Retirement," according to Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in New Rochelle, N.Y.


Davis, who wrote, acted, directed and produced for the theater and Hollywood, was a central figure among black performers of the last five decades. He and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, "In This Life Together."


Their partnership called to mind other performing couples, such as the Lunts, or Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. Davis and Dee first appeared together in the plays "Jeb," in 1946, and "Anna Lucasta," in 1946-47. Davis' first film, "No Way Out" in 1950, was Dee's fifth. They shared billing in 11 stage productions and five movies during long parallel careers.


I saw him at a D-day parade in New Orleans. He had quite a life - and will be missed.

[latebloomer]

29. A wonderful man

He and Ruby Dee, lifelong activists, never gave up hope and were an inspiration to us all.

Rest in peace, Ossie, you did good.

:cry:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. One of the great ones,

not only a fine actor, but a man on the right side of so many causes through decades of political activism. :cry:

[MountainLaurel]

31. Oh heavens. His poor wife.

The. U.S. is so much poorer for his loss -- I remember seeing footage of them speaking at so many activist events.

:cry:

[paineinthearse]

32. Actor Ossie Davis Found Dead in Hotel

Actor Ossie Davis Found Dead in Hotel
AP - 6 minutes ago



Ossie Davis, the imposing, unshakable actor who championed racial justice on stage, on screen and in real life, often in tandem with his wife, Ruby Dee, has died. He was 87.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&ncid=762&e=1&u=/ap/20050204/ap_en_mo/obit_davis

[dhinojosa]

33. A great liberal too, often in protests against the war.

RIP

[tom_paine]

34. Another Man of the Old Republic, Imperial Amerika is incapable of

replacing.

Perhaps Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, at the end of Hannity's Money Leash, will replace him.

<sigh, Imperial Amerika is such an ugly place, Peterson would actually be the perfect replacement for Imperial Values>

[CBHagman]

35. Oh, no!

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

I am so sorry we'll never hear his lovely, deep voice at the National Memorial Day Concert, for which he was host for a number of years.

Poor Ruby Dee. This has to be painful.

[central scrutinizer]

36. Damn, I just saw his son in concert, too

A couple of weeks ago.

http://www.guydavis.com/

[joeybee12]

37. Very sad--he and Ruby were such an adorable couple...

...I know they were very talented and he was quite the activist, but still, they were so damn cute together! Rest in Peace.

[wryter2000]

38. Damn

We'll miss you, Ossie. :cry:

[donheld]

39. What can i say - We lost a great one

Who can take his place?

[JerseygirlCT]

40. Oh no!

A great actor and a great human being.

[geniph]

41. He will be missed, very much.

"Always do the right thing, doc."

RIP Ossie. My condolences to his widow.

[oasis]

43. A great actor and human being has passed away. May he rest in peace.

[undergroundrailroad]

44. He is one of the greats! He will be missed. So long my friend. Link

NEW YORK - Ossie Davis, the imposing, unshakable actor who championed racial justice on stage, on screen and in real life, often in tandem with his wife, Ruby Dee, has died. He was 87.

Davis was found dead Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Fla., according to officials there. He was making a film called “Retirement,” said Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in suburban New Rochelle and confirmed the death.

Miami Beach police spokesman Bobby Hernandez said Davis’ grandson called shortly before 7 a.m. when Davis would not open the door to his room at the Shore Club Hotel. Davis was found dead and there does not appear to be any foul play, Hernandez said.

Davis, who wrote, acted, directed and produced for the theater and Hollywood, was a central figure among black performers for decades. He and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, “In This Life Together.”

[no safe haven]

46. Ossie Davis was a truly beautiful man

...compassionate, unafraid to speak the truth in a world of lies.

[truthpusher]

47. Actor Ossie Davis, who championed racial justice, dies at 87

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=2902418



Actor Ossie Davis, who championed racial justice, dies at 87; found in Miami Beach hotel room

(New York-AP, Feb. 4, 2005 Updated 1:15 PM) _ Ossie Davis, the imposing, unshakable actor who championed racial justice on stage, on screen and in real life, often in tandem with his wife, Ruby Dee, has died. He was 87.

Davis was found dead Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Fla., according to officials there. He was making a film called "Retirement," said Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in suburban New Rochelle and confirmed the death.

<snip>

When not on stage or on camera, Davis and Dee were deeply involved in civil rights issues and efforts to promote the cause of blacks in the entertainment industry. They nearly ran afoul of the anti-Communist witch-hunts of the early 1950s, but were never openly accused of any wrongdoing.

Actor Roy Scheider, who had performed with Davis and attended anti-war rallies with him, called Davis and Dee "the first political couple of America."

Complete Story>>>>
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=2902418

[hippiechick]

48. Here's the afternoon discussion thread ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1211888&mesg_id=1211888


:hi:

[quiet.american]

49. He was an incredible activist and artist and will be missed. n/t

[Richard Steele]

51. A heckuva guy....

First saw him in the 80s on COSBY.....

And he blew me away in "Bubba Ho-Tep", just for taking the role...

R.I.P, man.

[ET Awful]

52. And we will know him then for what he was and is

Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man—but a seed—which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us.

And we will know him then for what he was and is—a prince—our own black shining prince!—who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.

- from Ossie's eulogy to Malcolm X

You'll be missed Ossie.

[Piperay]

53. So sad...

Sending Ruby Dee and family warm thoughts. R-I-P Ossie.

[fishnfla]

54. I cant believe there is no mention of his role in "The Hill"

one of the best anti-military movies ever made IMO. His acting was a gem in that film

[0rganism]

55. How sad it would be to die in bush's America

Every time one of these giants of civil rights or social justice passes on, I think to myself how hard it must be to know, at the end of your life, that your country is turning to fascism.

A lot of what keeps me in this nation is the hope that I will live to see the return to democracy, for myself and my children.

[njdemocrat106]

56. Rest in peace

We keep on losing the greats. We were truly blessed to share this earth with a fine man like Mr. Davis.
God rest his soul.