Gil Scott-Heron Dies

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on May 28, 2011 3:00PM

Gil-Scott Heron, whose socially conscious, politically acerbic poetry and music was a major influence on hip-hop, passed away in New York City yesterday. Born in Chicago April 1, 1949 and raised in Jackson, TN, Mr. Scott-Heron was best known for the songs "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," "The Bottle," "Ain't No Such Thing As Superman," "Winter in America," "Johannesburg" and "Angel Dust," among others.

A prolific recording artist between 1970 and 1982, Mr. Scott-Heron released his first album in 16 years last year. He spent much of the last decade behind bars on drug charges. He also offered unvarnished accounts of his 20-plus year struggle with crack addiction, and went so far as to smoke it openly in front of reporter Alec Wilkinson while being interviewed for a profile in The New Yorker last year.

We've seen Mr. Scott-Heron in concert a few times over the years. The last opportunity, at HotHouse in 2001, played out exactly as Alec Wilkinson described in his New Yorker profile. He wasn't at the top of his game (an understatement, to be certain), but his lyrics still spoke truths that aren't as self-evident.

Gil Scott-Heron was 62 when he passed away.

"Ain't No Such Thing As Superman"