Showbiz
'Soul Train' host Shemar Moore: 'Don Cornelius may have had dementia'
Published Thursday, Feb 2 2012, 16:10 GMT | By Justin Harp | 3 comments
Former Soul Train host Shemar Moore has suggested that his mentor Don Cornelius may have been suffering from dementia prior to his suicide.
Cornelius was found by police with a bullet wound in his head at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday (February 1). He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Moore - who was Soul Train's host from 1999 to 2003 - discussed Cornelius's possible suicide with ET Online and claimed that the producer may have been battling a serious illness.
"I don't know what his health was like. I had heard rumours that it was early [onset] dementia, Alzheimer's, things like that… I'd heard that he was sick," Moore told the website.
Moore admitted that it is very hard for him to understand how a music industry icon like Cornelius could choose to end his life.
"I hope that wherever he is now, he's at peace... I don't know how he got to this place," the actor said. "I don't know what made him take his own life this morning. But after we shed our tears, after we say our prayers, after we put him to rest in our own ways, I hope there's a lot of celebration [of his life]."
Nicki Minaj and Ice Cube are among the many stars who offered remembrances of the Soul Train producer since his passing on Wednesday.
Aretha Franklin, a frequent Soul Train guest, credited Cornelius with creating "a melding and unity of brother and sisterhood among young adults worldwide" by launching Soul Train in 1971.
Cornelius was 75 years old at the time of his death.
> Soul Train to get big-screen treatment
Watch highlights from Soul Train below:
Cornelius was found by police with a bullet wound in his head at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday (February 1). He was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
© Rex Features
© PA Images
Moore - who was Soul Train's host from 1999 to 2003 - discussed Cornelius's possible suicide with ET Online and claimed that the producer may have been battling a serious illness.
"I don't know what his health was like. I had heard rumours that it was early [onset] dementia, Alzheimer's, things like that… I'd heard that he was sick," Moore told the website.
Moore admitted that it is very hard for him to understand how a music industry icon like Cornelius could choose to end his life.
"I hope that wherever he is now, he's at peace... I don't know how he got to this place," the actor said. "I don't know what made him take his own life this morning. But after we shed our tears, after we say our prayers, after we put him to rest in our own ways, I hope there's a lot of celebration [of his life]."
Nicki Minaj and Ice Cube are among the many stars who offered remembrances of the Soul Train producer since his passing on Wednesday.
Aretha Franklin, a frequent Soul Train guest, credited Cornelius with creating "a melding and unity of brother and sisterhood among young adults worldwide" by launching Soul Train in 1971.
Cornelius was 75 years old at the time of his death.
> Soul Train to get big-screen treatment
Watch highlights from Soul Train below:
3 comments
Loading...
Related Stories
Ten Things About...
Ten Things About... Ridley ScottWe find out ten fast facts about the English producer and director.
Interviews
'Angels' Share' Ken Loach interviewKen Loach, Paul Laverty and Paul Brannigan on their whiskey-soaked comedy.
Fashion & Beauty
Duchess of Cambridge's memorable momentsFlick through a gallery of Kate Middleton's stand-out public appearances.
Celeb Birthdays
Marilyn Monroe: Life and career in picsFlick through our gallery on what would have been Marilyn's 86th birthday.
