RayCharles

[Ms. Kathy]

Pray for the family and friends of American icon Ray Charles. Below is a statement from an article from CNN:

Ray Charles dies at 73
Thursday, June 10, 2004 Posted: 5:44 PM EDT (2144 GMT)

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as "What'd I Say" and ballads like "Georgia on My Mind," died Thursday, a spokesman said. He was 73.

Charles died at his Beverly Hills home surrounded by family and friends, said spokesman Jerry Digney.

To read the rest of this article, go to
www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/10/obit.ray.charles.ap/index.html


Below are other sites where one can read more about Brother Ray Charles:

• BlackNews.com
  Daily African-American News and Issues.
  www.BlackNews.com
  
• Ray Charles Online!
  Ray Charles's Official Website with Auto and Biographical info, discography, RealAudio, Awards and Achievements, FanClub info, Contests, memorabilia ...
  www.raycharles.com/
  
• Ray Charles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (My daughter's favorite reference site)
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles
  

[Judy M]

We will all miss Ray Charles. Too bad his death and funeral were overshadowed by Ronald Reagan's. Both were American icons.

[Ms. Kathy]

I highly recommend the movie about his life starring Jamie Fox. I do not suggest that young children under 13 go to see it as it shows some rough harsh spots of life in adult situations. I read where he wanted to teach children not to make the same mistakes he did but to strive for success the way he did.

Being a V.I. educator, I can appreciate his mother's influence to prevent him from becoming a "cripple" in any sense of the word. She used what she had to teach him independence and to be aware of his surroundings. I did have a problem with his example of not using a cane. I take cane usage as a sign of independence rather than dependence--another tool for environmental awareness.

The rest, as they say, is rock'n'roll history.