# Rick James is dead... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663 "2004-08-06T19:28:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/1 "2004-08-06T19:28:28Z")
According to ‘Breaking News’ on the [CNN](http://www.cnn.com) homepage. ABCNews also has this as breaking news, but no story yet. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/2 "2004-08-06T19:30:23Z")
Simul-thread… Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/3 "2004-08-06T19:33:46Z")
“I’m _dead_, bitch!” I guess “Darkness” takes on a whole new meaning now. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/4 "2004-08-06T19:35:40Z")
> [@SylverOne](#): > > Simul-thread… Wow. In a few minutes, this will need explanation, probably. I posted a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=270087) on the same subject at the exact same time as **SylverOne**. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/5 "2004-08-06T19:38:05Z")
[ABCNews](http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Entertainment/ap20040806_1191.html) has some details up now… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/6 "2004-08-06T19:42:13Z")
He doesn’t look like [Margaret Thatcher](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=270037) I’m going straight to hell for that one :wally ---
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/7 "2004-08-06T19:46:42Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > “I’m _dead_, bitch!” Although its sad, its also hilarious. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sinful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Sinful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinful)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/8 "2004-08-06T19:51:44Z")
According to [Yahoo](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040806/ap_en_mu/obit_james_6): > [@](#): > > He died apparently of natural causes. At 56?! Am I the only one having trouble swallowing this? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/9 "2004-08-06T20:04:14Z")
> [@Sinful](#): > > According to [Yahoo](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040806/ap_en_mu/obit_james_6): > > At 56?! Am I the only one having trouble swallowing this? People die of natural causes in thier 20’s. What so hard to believe? Though I have no idea exactly what happened as I’ve only just now heard it on CBS radio news. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/10 "2004-08-06T20:06:32Z")
Bottom line: he was a talented song writer. _Street Songs_ is a great album and Superfreak, regardless of how silly it is, is a fun, catchy song. His version of 80’s funk-pop was good stuff… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/11 "2004-08-06T20:13:10Z")
I just bought Cake’s _Comfort Eagle_, and I was wondering, “Who the hell is this Rick James guy that’s in that song, I’ll bet that would give it some meaning.” Now I know. Thanks to CNN. And The Straight Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Sinful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Sinful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinful)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/12 "2004-08-06T20:19:06Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > People die of natural causes in thier 20’s. What so hard to believe? Though I have no idea exactly what happened as I’ve only just now heard it on CBS radio news. It’s not that its hard to believe, especially considering his past habits. I’m in no way trying to take away from his legacy as a musician. I won’t lie, even I have about 50 megs of RJ’s hits on my PC. ---
**Author:** ![JCorre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3da27b/32.png) [@JCorre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JCorre)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/13 "2004-08-06T20:20:59Z")
I guess the afterlife just got a bit funkier! ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/14 "2004-08-06T20:26:55Z")
Chappell was going to do a movie about him (as him?), I wonder what will happen now. On the one hand the movie just got some finality, on the other would they scrap it? ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/15 "2004-08-06T20:27:13Z")
> [@Sinful](#): > > According to [Yahoo](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040806/ap_en_mu/obit_james_6): > > At 56?! Am I the only one having trouble swallowing this? The immediate cause was probably natural, but years of drug abuse made him old 20 years before his time. If I eat 5 double cheeseburgers a day, and die of a heart attack at 42, they won’t put Burger King as my cause of death will they? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/16 "2004-08-06T20:30:25Z")
“Cocaine is a hell of a drug.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/17 "2004-08-06T20:44:34Z")
I have an image of Rick James swaggering around in Hell calling Satan, “Darkness” and saying, “I’m Rick James, bitch!” (and he will forever be asscociated with that phrase now). I don’t know what this means for the Chappelle movie but it wasn’t supposed to be serious, it was supposed to be basically a feature length version of the sketch on his Comedy Central show. I don’t know if Jame’s death would fit well into a spoof but if anyone can make it funny it’s Dave. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/18 "2004-08-06T20:47:19Z")
> [@Nvme77](#): > > Although its sad, its also hilarious. > > ☹ Oh, Rick led a very full life. How many people can say they’ve held a woman hostage and forced her to perform sex acts on their girlfriend while snorting lines of cocaine in a motel bathroom? I’d say _Hell_ got a new Funk headliner. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/19 "2004-08-06T21:27:24Z")
Unfortunately, the first image of Rick James I see is courtesy of VH1’s _I Love the '80s_, he is in the video for Eddie Murphy’s single “Party All the Time.” Now I don’t blame the guy for producing awful pop drivel if the money was right. The video, however, shows him in the production booth with a gaze of awe and wonderment at Eddie’s immense vocal talent. Inside, I believe the Superfreak died a little when that footage was shot. ---
**Author:** ![Spurious\_George](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Spurious\_George](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spurious_George)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663/20 "2004-08-06T21:44:51Z")
Oooo, I just found out this happened a few hundred yards from where I’m sitting. When I went to the bank at lunch, I could see the police helicopters hovering over the complex. Are they there to keep looky-loos away? (Or is it a possible crime scene?..) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rick-james-is-dead/258663.md?page=2)