{"id":1491,"date":"2012-02-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-03T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waiting.com\/blog\/?p=1491"},"modified":"2012-02-18T21:00:41","modified_gmt":"2012-02-19T03:00:41","slug":"black-music-impresario-don-cornelius-his-brain-surgery-and-suspected-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waiting.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/black-music-impresario-don-cornelius-his-brain-surgery-and-suspected-suicide.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Music Impressario Don Cornelius, His Brain Surgery And Suspected Suicide"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Don Cornelius was a successful African-Amercian\u00a0entrepreneur who made his fortune by\u00a0bringing undiluted black music to mainstream America in a hit show, “Soul Train.”\u00a0The era was the 1970s, and Cornelius was the black Dick Clark of soul music and R&B.<\/p>\r\n

It’s a shame that his story didn’t have a happy ending. And perhaps\u00a0 it didn’t have a happy ending because of the brain surgery he once underwent.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Cornelius, 75,\u00a0was found dead in his California home Wednesday, an apparent suicide. He died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.<\/p>\r\n

Cornelius had fallen into some difficult times, a downward spiral. His career faltered when he couldn’t contain his disdain for rap music and hip-hop.<\/p>\r\n

And according to several press reports, he underwent brain surgery that had a dramatic, and apparently negative, impact on him.\u00a0It wouldn’t be too big of a stretch to consider it\u00a0a factor in his ultimate decision to take his own life.<\/p>\r\n

Cornelius had his brain surgery in the 1980s, “and was quoted in newspapers at the time as saying he\u00a0didn’t feel quite the same after,” according to\u00a0The Los Angeles Times.<\/p>\r\n

http:\/\/latimesblogs.latimes.com\/lanow\/2012\/02\/don-cornelius-health-problems-probed-by-investigators.html<\/a><\/p>\r\n

The Star-Ledger of Newark’s account of Cornelius’s\u00a0experience also portrayed that brain surgery as a life-changer for the former broadcaster.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

“Cornelius suffered severe\u00a0personal setbacks, too,”\u00a0Star-Ledger music critic Tris McCall wrote. “In 1982, he underwent brain surgery to correct a life threatening congenital defect.\u00a0He was back on ‘Soul Train’ six months later, but never really recovered.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

http:\/\/www.nj.com\/entertainment\/music\/index.ssf\/2012\/02\/don_cornelius_soul_train_origi.html<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Cornelius and his first wife, his high school honey, divorced. His second marriage was no picnic: He was charged with domestic violence in 2008, eventually pleading no contest. He\u00a0got 36 months probation.<\/p>\r\n

“He had alluded to health problems in divorce papers,” The Times wrote.<\/p>\r\n

I’d bet that at least some of those health problems were mental issues arising after\u00a0his brain surgery. It’s a shame that he apparently decided to end his torment with a bullet.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don Cornelius was a successful African-Amercian\u00a0entrepreneur who made his fortune by\u00a0bringing undiluted black music to mainstream America in a hit show, “Soul Train.”\u00a0The era was the 1970s, and Cornelius was the black Dick Clark of soul music and R&B. It’s a shame that his story didn’t have a happy ending. And perhaps\u00a0 it didn’t have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3,4,846,845],"class_list":["post-1491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brain-injury","tag-brain-injury-attorney","tag-don-cornelius-and-brain-surgery","tag-don-cornelius-suicide"],"yoast_head":"\nBlack Music Impressario Don Cornelius, His Brain Surgery And Suspected Suicide - Brain Injury Lawyer Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/waiting.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/black-music-impresario-don-cornelius-his-brain-surgery-and-suspected-suicide.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Black Music Impressario Don Cornelius, His Brain Surgery And Suspected Suicide - Brain Injury Lawyer Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don Cornelius was a successful African-Amercian\u00a0entrepreneur who made his fortune by\u00a0bringing undiluted black music to mainstream America in a hit show, “Soul Train.”\u00a0The era was the 1970s, and Cornelius was the black Dick Clark of soul music and R&B. 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