From the criminal justice system to race relations and beyond, the death of football legend-turned-acquitted murderer O.J. Simpson has placed a spotlight on a number of issues.
But perhaps none of them are as immediately urgent to Black people as Simpson’s cause of death — prostate cancer, which is a disproportionate killer, particularly of Black men.
The man born as Orenthal James Simpson died at 76 on Wednesday, his family confirmed fewer than two months after it was revealed he was undergoing chemotherapy for the curable illness
Scroll down and keep reading to find a growing list of notable Black people who have not only been diagnosed with prostate cancer but have also died because of it.
1. Stokely Carmichael
Source:GettyCivil rights organizer Stokely Carmichael, who later in life became known as Kwame Ture, died of prostate cancer in 1998. He was 57.
“The cause was prostate cancer, for which Mr. Ture had been treated at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York in the last two years,” the New York Times reported in an obituary. “He once said his cancer ”was given to me by forces of American imperialism and others who conspired with them.’”
2. Eldridge Cleaver
Source:GettyWriter, activist and Black Panthers leader Eldridge Cleaver died in 1998 of prostate cancer. He was 62.
3. Langston Hughes
Source:GettyHarlem Renaissance poet and writer Langston Hughes died in 1965 following surgery for prostate cancer. He was 65.
4. Dexter Scott King
Source:GettyDexter Scott King, the youngest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died on Jan. 22, 2024, after a “valiant battle with prostate cancer,” according to representatives from the King Center. The civil rights activist and attorney was 62 years old.
5. Joe Madison
Source:GettyJoe Madison, the award-winning radio legend and social activist also known as “The Black Eagle” whose eponymous live morning show helped bring attention to pressing human and civil rights issues, died on Feb. 1, 2024, following a yearslong battle with prostate cancer.
Madison was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009. It went into remission following treatment. But he announced in late 2023 that the cancer had returned.
6. Floyd Patterson
Source:GettyFloyd Patterson, a legendary boxer who once held the world heavyweight championship for six years and notably fought Muhammad Ali twice, died of prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease in 2006. He was 71.
