Unlike famous celebrities like Michael Jackson, where the whole world found out about his death within hours, the entertainers listed in this article weren't as well known. In fact, some left us before they even had a chance to fly, dying before they reached the age of 35. When younger entertainers like Aaliyah and Left Eye passed, a great deal of people knew about it. In the case of these talented entertainers, it's a different story.
The entertainers in this list may have had a role in your favorite movie or television show. They may have sung or created a tune in a song that you're familiar with. You may even have their music stored on your iPod. Some of the people who are aware of their works either found out that they died years after the fact, or never learned about it at all. Some of you may have been wondering of their whereabouts, not even knowing that they have passed on. Lets just hope that the people that you're wondering about aren't on this list. Here's a list of entertainers who died under 35.
Norman Gibson (September 18th 1951 – September 29th, 1976)I'm sure many of you have seen this movie. Gibson was best known for his character Robert in the movie Cooley High. He was murdered in an altercation over a dice game a year after the movie was released. He was only 25 years old.
Wylie Draper (May 5th, 1969 – December 30th 1993)
Wylie Draper is known for playing an older Michael Jackson in the mini-series The Jacksons: An American Dream. This was his first acting role ever. Throughout his childhood, many felt that he looked like Michael Jackson. Like Michael Jackson, Wylie Draper was also a dancer, working as lead dancer at Disney World and on cruise ships. He was also a dancer in Michael Jackson's Remember the Time video. He died from a rare form of leukemia a year after the mini-series aired. He was only 24 years old.
Corwin Hawkins (March 12th 1965 – August 5th, 1994)
Hawkins is known for the character Wayman (Peaches' gay roommate) on Low Down Dirty Shame. Before landing this movie role, he was a popular stand-up comedian in Texas. He also took part in, along with winning, many female impersonator competitions, including Miss Gay Texas in 1991. He died of pneumonia shortly before the movie's release.
Dedrick D. Gobert (November 25th, 1971 – November 19th, 1994)
Gobert had roles in the popular hood movies Boyz N the Hood (as Dooky), Poetic Justice (as Lloyd), and Higher Learning (as Fudge's friend). He was shot to death during an argument at a drag race. He was only 22 years old.
David B. Cole (June 3, 1962 – January 24, 1995)
David was a record producer and member of the dance group C+C Music Factory. C+C Music Factory was best known for their song Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now). He has produced music for artists like Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown. He died of spinal meningitis. He was only 32 years old.
Darren Robinson (June 10th, 1967 – December 10th, 1995)
Robinson was one of the pioneers of beatboxing. He was also the founder of the Fat Boys, making up 1 of 3 in the group. They were featured in the movie Krush Groove (1985) as Disco Three before changing their name to The Fat Boys. He died of a heart attack at the age of 28, which was weight related. He was 450lbs at the time of his death.
Bruce Edward "Damian" Broadus (September 13, 1966 – June 27, 1996)
Broadus made up half of the Damian Dame duo. Damian Dame was an R&B duo, and was the first act ever signed to LaFace Records. They were best known for their songs Exclusivity, Gotta Learn My Rhythm, and Right Down To It. Damian died of colon cancer at the age of 28, only two years after Deah died in a car accident on the same date.
Rob Pilatus (June 8th, 1965 – April 2nd, 1998)
Pilatus made up half of the group Milli Vanilli. A few of their popular songs include Baby Don't Forget My Number, Girl I'm Gonna Miss You, and Blame It on the Rain. In 1989, it was discovered that Milli Vanilli were lip-syncing when performing Girl You Know It's True at an MTV concert. In 1990, Milli Vanilli's founder, Frank Farian admitted to reporters that Morvan and Pilatus didn't sing any of the songs. This resulted in Milli Vanilli's Grammy award being taken away, Arista dropping Milli Vanilli from their label, and lawsuits being filed against both Arista and the Milli Vanilli members. This eventually drove Pilatus into a deep depression that led to drug abuse and various suicide attempts. His body was found dead in a hotel room. He died of an alcohol and prescription pill overdose at the age of 32 years old.
Michelle Thomas (September 23rd, 1968 – December 23rd, 1998)Thomas was most known for her characters Justine on the Cosby Show, Myra (Urkel's girlfriend) on Family Matters, and Callie Rogers on The Young and the Restless. Thomas was diagnosed with a rare intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor that's usually found in adolescent boys and refused treatment. As her health conditioned worsened, it became difficult for Thomas to do scenes on the set of Family Matters. Due to this, her scenes were cut shorter until she left the show in 1998. She was only 30 years old.
Robert Earl Davis, Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000)
DJ Screw worked with artists like Lil' Flip, Pimp C, and 2Pac. He died from a lethal combination of codeine and alcohol, coupled with exhaustion. He was only 29 years old.
Marlon Brando (1979-May 11, 2001)
Brando made up 1 of 3 in the hip hop group Sporty Thievz. They were known for songs like No Pigeons and Street Cinema. A drunk driver was swerving his car onto the sidewalk when Brando pushed a little girl out of the way to prevent her from getting hit. As a result, Brando was hit and killed. He was only 22 years old.
Kenny "G-Love" Greene (January 17, 1969 – October 1, 2001)
Kenny was the lead singer of the R&B group Intro. Intro is best known for songs like Come Inside, Let Me Be the One, and Love Thang. He also produced most of their songs, along with songs for music artists like Mary J. Blige. He died from AIDS complications at the age of 32.
Melanie Janene Thornton (May 13, 1967 – November 24, 2001)
Thornton was the lead singer of pop group La Bouche. They were known for songs like Be My Lover and Sweet Dreams. Three months after Aaliyah died in a plane crash, Thornton died in a plane crash the day before Thanksgiving. She was only 34 years old.
Merlin Santana (March 14, 1976 – November 9, 2002)
Santana was best known for his roles Stanley on the Cosby Show and Romeo Santana on the Steve Harvey Show. Accused of attempted rape by and underage girl (which is claimed to be a false accusation), Santana was shot to death by her boyfriend while sitting in the passenger side of his friend's car. He was only 26 years old.
Keven "Dino" Conner (November 18th, 1974 – January 28th, 2003)
Dino was the lead singer of H-Town. H-Town was formed by Dino, his twin brother, Solomon "Shazam" Conner, and their long-time friend, Darryl "G.I." Jackson. They are best known for their song Knockin' the Boots. Leaving the studio after working on H-Town's comeback album, a SUV that ran a red light struck a vehicle carrying both Dino and his 22 year old pregnant fiance, ejecting them from their vehicle. His fiance was pronounced dead on the scene, while Dino died on the way to the hospital. He was only 28 years old.
Carlton Williams I (1979 – October 2003)Although he only acted in one movie, Williams was best known for the character Clinton (Crooklyn's brother) in the movie Crooklyn. He died at the age of 24 from complications of sickle cell anemia.
Artimus Lamont Bentley (October 25, 1973 – January 18, 2005)
Bently was best known for his role Crazy K on Tales from the Hood, and Hakeem Campbell on Moesha. He was driving on a highway when he ran over an enbankment, causing him to be ejected from his car and into traffic, where he was then hit by five cars. He was only 31 years old.
James "J Dilla" Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006)J Dilla was a producer and of the hip hop group Slum Village. He produced music for artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, and Common. He died due to a rare blood disease called TTP and he was also believed to have lupus. He was only 32 years old.
Tony Thompson (September 2, 1975 – June 1, 2007)
Thompson was known as the lead singer of 90's R&B group Hi-Five. Hi-Five was best known for their songs I Like the Way (The Kissing Game), I Can't Wait Another Minute, and Just Another Girlfriend. His body was found lifeless outside an apartment complex. He died on an accidental overdose of freon. He was only 31 years old.
Chad Lamar Butler (December 29, 1973 — December 4, 2007)
Butler, also known as Pimp C, was a rapper and producer. He made up half of the music group UGK. His death was caused by an accidental overdose of codeine cough syrup and promethazine (a prescription drug), on top of a preexisting sleep apnea condition.
Stephen "Static Major" Garrett (November 11, 1974 – February 25, 2008)
Static was a singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He was also a member of the R&B group Playa, known for their song Cheers 2 U. Songs that he helped produce include: Pony for Ginuwine; We Need a Resolution, Rock the Boat, and More than a Woman, Try Again, and Are You That Somebody? for Aaliyah; Pony, Same Ol' G, and So Anxious for Ginuwine; Say My Name (Timbaland's Remix) for Destiny's Child; Addictive for Truth Hurts; You Owe Me for Nas; and Lil Wayne's Lollipop. He died due to complications from a botched medical procedure that caused him to bleed to death. He was only 33 years old.
Orish Grinstead (June 2nd 1980- April 20, 2008)
Orish was the founding member of R&B music group 702. Although she dropped out of the group before 702 blew up, she took part in the popular R&B song This Little Game That We Play featuring Subway, and rejoined the group on two different occasions for short periods of time as a temporary replacement. She died from kidney failure. At the time of her death, she was suffering from cancer that had yet to be treated, along with other undisclosed ailments. She was only 27 years old.
I expect to get a lot of comments on this topic. As a vegetarian, I am bias. I would like to think I make a better lover than a meat-eater. I would like to say I have more energy which makes me able to go longer and stronger. I would like to think that I am more of a sensitive lover because I don’t eat meat. But, just because I would like to think that, doesn’t make it so. The other day, I came across a comment left 
So I went to turn on the radio the other day and was appalled by what I was hearing. See, I’m the I-pod kinda chick, so I’ve sort of been out of the radio loop (but I stay updated on music). I was surprised to find that relationships have TOTALLY gone out of the window and have been replaced by none other than “cutty buddies.”
We’ve all heard the mantra “Support black business.” Many of us have heeded the call repeatedly. Some have been pleased. Others have sacrificed quality service in the name of loyalty and sisterly patronage. Whatever the experience, we can agree that black business and its success is integral to the black community. Black Business Month gets underway in August and now is as good a time as any to apply 2009’s ubiquitous change we can believe in.
