Dear Friends,
On August 9, 2003 Gregory Hines died at the age of 57. He died of cancer, a good man taken from this world far too soon.
I cried with I heard the report about Gregory Hines. I was in the middle of the gym working out when the news came on the television.
I stood numb for a while, my ears ringing, time blurred around me. Eventually it dawned on me that my eyes stung and my face was wet. Gregory Hines was dead and I was crying.
"His dancing came from something very real," said Bernadette Peters in an Associated Press interview. Peters appeared with Hines as co-hosts of the 2002 Tony Awards show. "It came out of his instincts, his impulses and his amazing creativity. His whole heart and soul went into everything he did."
Gregory Oliver Hines was born on Feb. 14, 1946, in New York City. He has said his mother urged him and his older brother toward tap dancing because she wanted them to have a way out of the ghetto.
Success came quickly to the passionate dancer with sad eyes and a gentle soul. Starring opposite his brother Maurice, he was nominated for Broadway's 1979 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for "Eubie!" Next came leading actor nominations for "Comin' Uptown" in 1980 and "Sophisticated Ladies" in 1981. In 1992 he won the award for his self-choreographed performance as the title character in "Jelly's Last Jam.
Although a brilliant dancer, his first film role in Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part I," as the last minute replacement for Richard Pryer, took his comedic skills to an international audience. He starred in his own television sitcom "The Gregory Hines Show" in the late 1990's and was a regular on the popular comedy "Will and Grace."
My first explosure to the brilliance of Mr. Hines came in 1985 when I was 10 years old and I went to see the movie "White Nights" in which he starred opposite ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov. There wasn't a ballet dancer alive who could compete with the grandeur of Mishka, but in a war of mixed art pitting classical technique against improvised urban tap, Hines went toe to with the Russia dance star. It was brilliant and made me forever a fan of Mr. Hines.
In 2003 I had the honor of serving as an official spokesperson for National Dance Week. Mr. Hines, too, had previously represented the cause in the media. His involvement was part of what attracted me to the cause. I wish we could have done more together.
I hope you will join me in offering prayers to Mr. Hine's surviving family and loved ones.
We have watched helplessly as cancer has stolen leagues of valued people before their time. May they rest in peace. And, may we pray that one day the cure to such aliments will be shared for all to heal.
I don't want to cry anymore.
Peace Love Trust
rikki lee travolta
Review other RLT commentary
It's All Relative
Stand Against Racism
Writing About Life
Crazy Pants Travolta
Gregory Hines
Everwood
Book Excerpt: Bus Fare
Learning to Stand
A Time of War
Country Charm
Talking Frankly About Family (& Christmas)
My Fractured Life
Forever Love
Good and Evil
Man Behind the Wheel
The Little Engine that Could: A Memorial
Perceptions of Perfection
Personal Decisions
Responsibility in Communication
You Done Good
Duality of Man
Evolution of a Hero
Reason to Quit - Stop Smoking
Beware of Stalkers
Dare to Dream
Do The Right Thing
Dealing with Abuse
Mother's Day
Right to Choose
Support the Cause
Just Try
Virtue of One
Martin Luther King Jr
Free Form Jazz
Creating the News
Great Expectations
Story of a Life
Acting 101
Why I Cried
Personal Values vs. Monetary Value
Broken Hearts
Dignity over Jealousy
Community Responsibility
Life, Honesty, and Integrity
Drug Withdrawal
Christmas Spirit
Rikki Lee Travolta's debut album!
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