Melvin Van Peebles Dead At 89
The world of entertainment lost a legend on Wednesday. Melvin Van Peebles, considered The Godfather of Modern Black Cinema, passed away at the age of 89. For those who may not know his name, Van Peebles was an artist in the truest sense: a writer, producer, director, composer, editor. His body of work paved the way for budding Black creatives to find their voice at a time when entertainment was homogenized toward white audiences.
Melvin found early success directing The Watermelon Man (1970), a comedy about a racist white man who wakes up to find his skin is dark, forcing him to experience the bigotry he had inflicted on so many. Van Peebles' follow up, Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song (1971) became a breakthrough hit and is considered one of the first in the genre of Blacksploitation Films, leading to a surge of Black helmed productions throughout the 1970s, forever changing the landscape for minority creatives with a story to tell.
Melvin's son, actor/director Mario Van Peebles took to social media yesterday to speak somberly about his father's impact on the entertainment industry and his final moments with his family.
Well, as the so-called Godfather of Modern Black Cinema, he's not just my dad. He's your dad too... I felt very strongly that dad would not want to pass in the hospital, and I was lucky enough to get him home. And when he came through the door, he had such a look of joy and relief on his face and I just let that wash over me... I slept on a cot beside him and at 2:30 am, for some reason I woke up and I felt something and went over to dad... I put my hand on his chest and said, "Daddy, I love you," and he had stopped breathing. And as I looked closer, the look on his face did not look like a man who was afraid of death. He looked like a man who had gone his way and, in his time... Growing up with him I saw a life well lived, fully lived.
Melvin Van Peebles' reach as an artist did not just stem from cinema. He was a novelist, produced theater, and helped other icons in the industry thrive such as Earth, Wind, and Fire who he hired to create the soundtrack to Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song. An interesting coincidence given the day of his passing was the 21st of September and the lyric to their most popular song September.
A man of many talents, Melvin Van Peeble's will be remembered fondly by a world he contributed so much to.
