On the news, they gave a teaser before going to commercial break: “Today the music industry mourns an iconic entertainer.”
Since I was in the other room, I didn’t have visuals. My first thought was, “No, don’t tell me Stevie’s dead!” When I found out it was Hayes, I was also shocked. But now I’m worried about Stevie.
Sad news.
I love the theme to Shaft, my favourite Shaft related clip.
Learn from his legacy, folks: it only takes one year to make everybody think you’re batshit crazy and tarnish the last 40 years when they all thought you were cool.
Man, I am really sad to hear this. He was an icon of Soul Cool. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has a nice piece, with a great photo.
I used to see him in Memphis at music events, and he was a really tremendous presence. That voice, ummm, was riveting.
Shit. That and Bernie Mac.
I never ever imagined myself saying such a thing, but I’ll miss his chocolate salty balls. RIP. 
He was the emcee at the Stax Revue at Antone’s during SXSW last year. I knew he had had a stroke, but I had no idea how bad it had been; he had to be helped out to read a very awkward introduction (including an obligatory “Can you dig it?”) before turning things over.
At the end he joined the rest of the performers (Booker T. and the MGs, Eddie Floyd, William Bell) for an encore of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”. When he stepped up and took a verse, his voice just shook the place, and the crowd went nuts.
I don’t know how much he’s done since then (March of '07), but it might have been one of his last public performances.
You’ll just have to make your own.
Xenu is their version of Lucifer.
That would be L. Ron Hubbard. There is no “God” (as Christians know it) in Scientology. LRH is the only one they worship (unless they’re new, and haven’t paid enough money to learn the real deal yet).
That’s what I was thinking, but you said it much better than I could. Too bad he was a Scieno, but the cool stuff (“Shaft,” Chef) will always be cool and will be what endures, not his inexplicable foray into a bullshit cult.
Alas! I fear his balls were better than mine. 
His balls were mighty.
This has just been a crap year for Hollywood all around, hasn’t it?
We may also remember Isaac from such films as Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He played Asneeze, father of Dave Chappelle’s character, Achoo.
He also made a pretty cool Duke of New York. (Actually, anything he did was automatically cool, if you can dig it.)
Oh no. They kill Isaac.
:eek:
Those two emoticoms are getting too much use this weekend.
That’s too bad to hear. He seemed like he was a real nice guy. Not to mention damn funny on South Park.
Some of Hayes’ stone cold masterpieces, most of which were co-written with David Porter:
“Soul Man”
“I Thank You”
My personal favorite, “Hold On, I’m Comin’”. Legend has it that Hayes was in the bathroom when he heard Porter play the riff on the piano. He knew a hit when he heard it, and yelled “Hold On! I’m Comin’!”
Here’s Hayes’ set at WattsStax in 1972. You might recognize the guy who introduced him.
If this is true, this is one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve read in a long time and is just one more thing that I hate about Scienos. Hayes forced to quit South Park and to perform after stroke.
Because I’m not a South Park fan. 
But what I was actually trying to say is that I hope people don’t only remember him for South Park, since there’s an awful lot more to his career. And as a secondary point - because South Park made his Scientology deal much more public, and I also hope Hayes’ legacy goes beyond that crazy shit.
Yeah. He’s a bad mutha…
Sad indeed.
It is sad when that is the kindest thing you can say about such a warm and talented man. Taking advantage of a man who has suffered a devastating illness is one of the scummiest things that can be done. Forcing Hayes to quit what was apparently a lucrative voice-over job and taking his money so he was forced to keep working is among the lowest of low. As is prohibiting him from seeking the treatment necessary to help him recover from his stroke.
It is sad he lost the rights to his songs and they will revert to his family members. He could have used the income while he was alive. He was never the type of performer who would voluntarily retire, but at his age he deserved to have some cushion he could fall back upon and live life comfortably and not have his funds siphoned off by what is, in my opinion, a group of scammers who feed off the wealthy and impressionable. Have any of you children seen the alien spaceship, indeed.
I know Isaac was vastly more than his “Chef” role on South Park, but I think Parker and Stone’s words from “The Return of Chef” as spoken by Kyle, are very fitting.
Paraphrasing:
We’re all here today because Isaac has been such an important part of our lives. A lot of us don’t agree with the choices he has made…some of us… feel hurt… and confused. But we can’t let the events of the last week take away the memories of how much Isaac made us smile. I’m gonna remember him as the jolly old guy who always broke into song. And in the end, I know that somewhere out there… there’s the good part of Isaac… that’s still alive in us all.
This in:
Hayes most likely died from a stroke. Although no autopsy was performed, his physician listed a stroke as the cause of Hayes’s death.