His Song Will Last Forever

The music world is in mourning over last Friday's death of Lou Rawls, who just last week lost his battle against lung and brain cancer. His smooth, silky tones and soulful vocal style are known across the nation and around the world, and will be remembered fondly for years to come. His hits spanned more than four decades, and made him one of a select few artists to gain Grammy nominations in Pop, Jazz and R&B, plus one for Best Recording for Children in 1982.

But his legacy includes much more than just the music.

In 1976, Rawls became the corporate spokesman for Anheuser Busch, the world's largest brewery, which led in 1980 to that company's sponsorship of two events which have continued to this day. One was a series of concerts for American military personnel on bases around the world. The other was a telethon whose proceeds, now more than $200 million, are donated to the United Negro College Fund.

Epitomizing cool, class and soul, his humanitarian efforts have won him more than honors, more even than a street named after him in Chicago, where South Wentworth Avenue is now Lou Rawls Drive. His work for the UNCF has been the joy of a man who never went to college but has since been awarded numerous honorary doctorates. "I remember a woman came up to me once and said, 'Thank you. You made my grandson the first college grad in our family.' That makes it all worth it."

Lou Rawls made a big difference in the lives of many, many young black men and women who without him may never have had the opportunity to go to college. As one longtime friend (and the host of Mr. Rawls' official website) fondly recalled, "During his travels, nothing lit Lou's eyes more than meeting the doctors, lawyers, architects, etc., who had benefited from scholarships as a result of his telethons and other fundraising activities for the UNCF. He truly believed that 'a mind is a terrible thing to waste.'"

Family, friends and fans of Mr. Rawls will be both celebrating his life and grieving his death this Friday as he is laid to rest in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the services will likely be marred by two very unfortunate situations.

First, as reported by FOX News, there is a family feud raging between Rawls' widow Nina Inman, the 35-year-old former airline stewardess who married him only two years ago, and his adult daughter Louanna. Funeral plans are moving forward, but some seem to fear that claws will soon be bared.

The funeral service is expected to be quite an event, featuring such musical talents as Stevie Wonder, Andrae Crouch, Joan Baez and Della Reese. But our sadness is only intensified by the news that the Rev. Jesse Jackson will be officiating at Friday's services. Recent funeral performances by Jackson included that of convicted murderer Tookie Williams, where Jackson used the event to deliver...

...sharp statements about the socio-political intertwined with capital punishment in the United States, including referencing Tookie as a "healer, not a predator."

Jackson was also involved in the recent Detroit memorial service for the late Rosa Parks that turned into a leftwing political rally. In that instance, Jackson used his eulogy for that great lady as a platform to blast President Bush and his administration for supposed crimes against the black community.

Lou Rawls should be laid to rest with love and dignity, and should be remembered for all the joy he brought and the lives he enriched with his talents, service and generosity. Let us hope and pray that his family, friends and fans will be spared the circus that seems to be looming over this last goodbye.