Don Cornelius’ Death a Suicide

Don Cornelius, the founder of Soul Train, passed away by gunshot to the head last week, and today, his death was ruled a suicide. The coroner agency conducted an autopsy on Friday, ruling out possibility of foul play, but is still waiting results from toxicology tests. Since that point, his son Tony released the following statement: "We thank all the well-wishers and the fans who have supported the 'Soul Train' legacy. Love, Peace and Soul."

Cornelius started Soul Train in 1970, and the program turned out to be one of the longest-running syndicated shows in history, on the air from 1971 to 2006. On Saturday, two tributes honored Cornelius, one an internet-organized flash mob originating in Times Square and the other a recollection of memories led by Al Sharpton at a Harlem community center.

Dressed in 1970s garb, the flash mob of 100 dancers traveled down Broadway, recreating one of the well-known Soul Train lines. A handful of notable personalities were present and spoke about Cornelius to the press.

Providing the event’s music, disc jockey Jon Quick said: “Don Cornelius was a big influence in my life, and I just wanted to pay tribute. He was playing the music that nobody else wanted to play. He was an amazing man."

Singer Roberta Flack added: "He didn't have a great big light telling him, 'Go over here, don't go over there, watch where you step, there's a hole right there. He stepped."

Soul Train dancer Tyrone Proctor mentioned: "Blocking, popping, ticking, waacking, punking — when Madonna does what she does at the Super Bowl, you'll see some of these things done there. Don Cornelius created all of this. It came out of his mind."

William "A.J. Dynamite" Aponte, a keyboard player, discussed the program’s choice of performers, including Elton John: "He sang 'Benny and the Jets,' and I thought it was so great because Elton John is not black, he's white and he's British. It influenced me to want to do music."