Those We Lost — August 19

Honoring those we lost on August 19 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Dick Gregory

Birth name: Richard Claxton Gregory

Born Oct 12, 1932 — died Aug 19, 2017

Comedian, writer, civil rights activist, social critic, and health advocate.

Gregory broke racial barriers in mainstream comedy by turning segregation, politics, and American hypocrisy into sharp public critique. He marched, fasted, organized, and ran for office, using celebrity as a platform for civil rights, peace, economic justice, and political accountability.

Cedar Walton

Full name: Cedar Anthony Walton Jr.

Born Jan 17, 1934 — died Aug 19, 2013

Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and hard bop master.

Walton brought elegant touch, rhythmic drive, and sophisticated harmony to Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and decades of his own ensembles. Compositions including “Bolivia,” “Mosaic,” and “Ugetsu” became modern jazz standards and secured his place as both a master accompanist and a major composer.

Betty Everett

Full name: Betty Jean Everett

Born Nov 23, 1939 — died Aug 19, 2001

Soul and rhythm-and-blues singer, pianist, and recording artist.

Everett’s clear, emotionally direct voice powered “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” and the Jerry Butler duet “Let It Be Me.” Her recordings helped define Chicago soul and gave popular music enduring expressions of romance, longing, and self-knowledge.

Lee Thompson Young

Born Feb 1, 1984 — died Aug 19, 2013

Actor, writer, and television star.

Young became a generation’s hero as the title character in The Famous Jett Jackson, then built a mature career through Friday Night Lights and Rizzoli & Isles. After his death, his family established a foundation in his name to reduce mental-health stigma and encourage people to seek care.