Soul Train's Don Cornelius Dead at 75 of an Apparent Suicide

Legendary Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius has died of an apparent suicide. He was 75 years old. According to the Los Angeles Times, police arrived at Cornelius's Sherman Oaks home around 4 a.m. PST and transported the Soul Train producer to an area hospital, where he was...

By Victor Gonzalez

February 1, 2012

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Legendary Soul Train creator and longtime host Don Cornelius has died of an apparent suicide. He was 75 years old.

According to the Los Angeles Times, police arrived at Cornelius's Sherman Oaks home around 4 a.m. PST and transported the Soul Train producer to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, allegedly the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Los Angeles Police Department believes there are no signs of foul play. But it will continue to investigate Cornelius's death.

For the better part of two decades, Cornelius hosted the popular television dance show Soul Train, the "longest-running, first-run, nationally syndicated program in television history."

Though Cornelius stepped down as the show's host in 1993, he still owned Soul Train via his production company, Don Cornelius Productions. In 2010, Cornelius hinted at the possibility of a Soul Train film, though the project never manifested.

In the words of the legend, we wish Cornelius's family "love, peace, and soul."

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