This was not a good weekend for talented black men: soul icon Isaac Hayes died at his Memphis home on Sunday. The Oscar and Grammy winner was 65 years old.
A relative discovered an unresponsive Hayes near an exercise machine in their home at midday, and Hayes was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m. when he arrived at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office tells People.
“The family had last seen him about noon,” says Steve Shular, public information officer for that office. “Family members had gone to the grocery store and left him home. When the family came home around 1, his wife’s cousin found him lying on the floor in the basement near a treadmill. The treadmill was running, so it is believed that he had been working out.”
Although the hospital is still determining the cause of death, Shular says Hayes most likely died of natural causes.
“There doesn’t seem to be any foul play,” says Shular. “We don’t see anything suspicious about his death. There will be a further statement from the hospital about the cause of death.”
Isaac left behind wife Adjowa, twelve children, fourteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.


Entries (RSS)
August 10th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
It’s been a bad weekend for the black man. RIP.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I’d say something b!tchy about Scientology, but I really liked this dude. So…why couldn’t it be John Travolta?!
August 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Darth Paul, I’d rather it had been Tom Cruise ;).
I keep hearing the them from Shaft in my head and it’s killing me. Sorry to see you go, Chef.