Those We Lost — October 3

Honoring those we lost on October 3 — remembered for what they gave, and for what they left behind.

Skip James

Born June 9, 1902 — died October 3, 1969

Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist, songwriter, and minister

James developed the eerie falsetto, minor-key tunings, and intricate fingerpicking associated with the Bentonia school of blues. His early Paramount recordings were rediscovered during the 1960s folk revival. Songs such as Devil Got My Woman and I’m So Glad influenced blues, folk, and rock musicians far beyond his lifetime.

Victoria Spivey

Born October 15, 1906 — died October 3, 1976

Blues singer, songwriter, and record-label founder

Spivey recorded from 1926 to the mid-1960s, working with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Clarence Williams, and Lonnie Johnson, and wrote “Black Snake Blues” (1926). In 1961 she co-founded Spivey Records with Len Kunstadt. Her recordings are considered important examples of classic women’s blues.

Charles White

Born April 2, 1918 — died October 3, 1979

Painter, muralist, printmaker, and educator

White centered Black working people, families, freedom fighters, and historical figures in technically powerful drawings, prints, and murals. He taught at the Otis Art Institute and mentored later generations of artists. His dignified, monumental images asserted Black humanity against racist caricature and secured a lasting place in major American museum collections.

Armelia McQueen

Born January 6, 1952 — died October 3, 2020

Actress and singer

McQueen was best known for the Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978 to 1982, and 1988 to 1989), the film Ghost (1990), and the television series Adventures in Wonderland (1992 to 1994).

Charles Fuller

Born March 5, 1939 — died October 3, 2022

Playwright

Fuller wrote A Soldier’s Play, the story of a Black captain’s search for the murderer of a Black sergeant on a Louisiana Army base in 1944. A Soldier’s Play won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and its 2020 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Kimberly Hébert Gregory

Born December 7, 1972 — died October 3, 2025

Actress

Hébert Gregory began in theater, including Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays at The Public Theater in 2009, before her breakthrough as Dr. Belinda Brown in the HBO series Vice Principals in 2016. She also voiced Nicole Williams in Craig of the Creek. This is the first anniversary of her death.