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'Soul Train' host Don Cornelius dead of suicide

We were sorry to hear about the suicide of Don Cornelius, creator of the iconic TV dance show Soul Train.

We were sorry to hear about the suicide of Don Cornelius, creator of the iconic TV dance show Soul Train.  

Cornelius reportedly shot himself to death this morning at his Los Angeles home.  He was 75.   

"Soul Train" began in Chicago as a local program in 1970 and aired nationally from 1971 to 2006.

The death of Cornelius, of course, reminded us of the segment we did on "The Ed Show" about "Soul Train" on Dec. 7, 2011.

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly had unfortunately referred to the show as a vehicle to stereotype African-Americans during a discussion about a new White House outreach program to African-Americans.

Dr. James Peterson, Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University, joined Michael Eric Dyson, Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University and author ("Can You Hear Me Now?"), who was substituting for Ed that night.

RIP Mr. Cornelius.