Don Cornelius’ Son Says Dad Called Before Death
The music industry and his many fans are remembering “Soul Train’s” creator, Don Cornelius. Police say he shot himself to death at his home Wednesday morning. He was 75 years old.
Tony Cornelius, who worked alongside his father Don Cornelius on “Soul Train” and other shows said his father called him on the day he died. Tony did not elaborate on the conversation, but said, “It was a call of urgency, and I came to his home immediately.”
Cornelius said his father was a private person and was “unhappy about some things” in his life. His father’s health, also, he said, was failing.
“My father was extremely private and unfortunately, when you’re a private person, you keep things inside,” Cornelius told Gayle King on “CBS This Morning.” “You know, it’s hard to imagine that you would — how you feel. You have to be in a person’s shoes really to understand. Obviously, me being extremely close to him, I could tell that he was uncomfortable. But our family could never know that he would — how uncomfortable he really was.”
Pictured: Producer Don Cornelius attends the 18th Annual Soul Train Music Awards 2004 nominations at Spago’s Restaurant on February 19, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California. The 18th Annual Soul Train Music Awards will be broadcast live on March 20, 2004 from the International Cultural Center, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
