Supre Freak Rick James, 56
Posted: Friday, August 6th, 2004 4:48 pm
Flamboyant funk music pioneer Rick James, a dynamic performer famed for the sensuous 1981 dance hit “Super Freak (Part 1)” as well as a descent into drugs and crime, died in his sleep Friday morning of natural causes, officials said.
James, 56, the self-proclaimed “icon of drug use and eroticism,” battled a crack-cocaine habit for years. He had been in fragile health since suffering a stroke in 1998 after bursting a blood vessel at a concert in Denver.
He sometimes required help walking, but was in upbeat spirits as recently as late June when he received a lifetime achievement award at a music industry dinner in Beverly Hills. …
Indeed, James became a hooked on crack-cocaine and began a long descent into disgrace. In 1993, he was sentenced to five years in prison (serving three) for assault and false imprisonment stemming from two grisly incidents. … Read full obituary
