‘Soul Train’ creator Don Cornelius dead in apparent suicide

‘Soul Train’ creator Don Cornelius dead in apparent suicide
By ANN OLDENBURG February 1, 2012 8:44AM



Don Cornelius is presented with an honorary street named after him by Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Michelle Boone and 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett before the start of the 40th Anniversary Soul Train concert Monday September 5, 2011at Pritzker Pavilion. | Tom Cruze~Sun-Times

Don Cornelius, the South Side native who founded and hosted the iconic TV music and dance show “Soul Train,” was found dead at his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home Wednesday morning.

The Los Angeles police say he died from a gunshot wound to the head, and TMX reports that law enforcement sources say authorities believe it was self-inflicted.

He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead after being found at 4 a.m.

Cornelius was 75 and had complained in court documents in Los Angeles during his 2009 divorce case of “significant health issues” and wanted to “finalize this divorce before I die,” according to TMZ, which also said the longtime, popular TV host had health problems over the years including a stroke and brain surgery.

“Soul Train” premiered in 1971 and continued in syndication until 2006.

In 2008, Cornelius was charged with domestic violence, accused of beating his wife, and got three years of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge. He was divorced in 2010.

Last September, 15,000 people came to Chicago’s Millennium Park for the 40th anniversary “Soul Train” concert, and Cornelius was presented with an honorary “Don Cornelius Way” street sign before the concert — with the “Soul Train” logo — that’s posted at the corner of Halsted and Madison, where Cornelius launched the show at WCIU-Channel 26.

“This is the biggest thing that ever happened to me,” Cornelius, a DuSable High School product, said after being presented with the sign..

WBEZ-FM’s Richard Steele told the crowd that “Soul Train” made people “proud to wear an afro.