Love, Peace and Sooouuuullllll!!!!!

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

It hurt my heart to hear that on this first day of Black History Month 2012, one of our legendary pioneers passed away at the age of 75. Donald "Don" Cortez Cornelius, was the host and mastermind behind the iconic nationally syndicated dance and music franchise that took us on the "hippest trip in America" every Saturday morning for over 35-years, Soul Train. My fondest memories of Mr. Cornelius and Soul Train were back in the 80's when every black child in my neighborhood would be glued to the television set from 11am - 12pm to see which artist/group were performing and to see which new dance moves the Soul Train regulars were going to introduce while going down the infamous Soul Train line that day. Before my dreams of becoming a Fly Girl on Fox's sketch comedy show, In Living Color, I dreamt of dancing alongside the Filipino chick with the long hair on Soul Train! I remember my best friend and I screaming at the top of our lungs when Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike and Ralph, aka New Edition, hit the stage to sing, "Mr. Telephone Man". I also remember Mr. Cornelius being one of the coolest cats I've ever seen, besides Shaft and my daddy, of course. Don Cornelius was cool as a fan, and for reasons only he and God know, the man with the velvet voice and perfectly shaped afro, tragically took his own life early this morning in his Muhulland Drive home. Upon hearing about his death, Twitter and Facebook were ablaze with messages from his fans paying homage to the man who helped pave the way for R&B and Hip Hop artists (both Black and White) by allowing them an opportunity to showcase their talents on his stage, when at a time other mainstream shows, such as American Bandstand, were turning them away. Soul Train was also a window into the culture of Urban America for those from the suburbs who were not accustomed to living in a racially diverse community.  If it had not been for his vision, there probably would never have been a BET, MTV, VH1, TV One, Centric, or even an OWN. It saddens me to know that you possibly passed away without truly knowing how much of an impact and influence you had in the shaping of American entertainment as we know it today; however, each time I start up a Soul Train line at a wedding or family reunion, just know, I'll be doing it in honor of you, Mr. Cornelius. May you forever Rest in Peace.