News: Gil Scott-Heron dies at the age of 62
Musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron – best known for his pioneering rap ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ – has died at the age of 62, having fallen ill after a European trip. Scott-Heron helped lay the groundwork for rap by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry.
Musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron – best known for his pioneering rap ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised‘ – has died at the age of 62, having fallen ill after a European trip.
His UK publisher Jamie Byng announced the horrible news on Twitter: “Just heard the very sad news that my dear friend and one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met, the great Gil Scott-Heron, died today”
Scott-Heron helped lay the groundwork for rap by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and spoken-word poetry. He was HIV positive and battled drug addiction through most of his career. He spent a year and a half in prison for possession. In a 2009 interview he said that his jail term had forced him to confront the reality of his situation.
According to Doris C. Nolan, one of his close friends, he died in the afternoon at St. Luke’s Hospital after becoming sick upon returning from a European trip.
