Don Cornelius’ Son Speculates On Why His Father May Have Committed Suicide

Donald Cortez “Don” Cornelius, the man who created, produced and hosted “Soul Train,” passed away at the age of 75, on February 1st, due to a self-inflicted gun shot to the head. Since then, rumors have been circulating about the cause of his suicide. Media reports have been claiming that he suffered from depression for everything from being unhappy with his success, to being unhappy about his 2009 divorce, to being unhappy with the thought of his ex-wife taking all the money he earned. Finally his son, Tony Cornelius, has stepped up to assert that the late Cornelius wasn’t depressed about anything, besides his health. His son explains:

“He was not feeling well so it’s really hard to say why my dad decided he had had enough. It’s just one of those things. You just never know what someone is thinking. I can tell you due to health, things like divorce and relationships, there’s all kinds of things that may trigger a reaction like that. But as his son, as one who was really close, I can’t tell you [why]… There were no signs of anything like that. Many people can tell you they spoke to him, they talked to him, he was smiling when they saw him… When it comes to the industry, he had done everything he wanted to do. He had been everywhere he wanted to be. There was nothing he had not experienced. The factor that I would say, as his son, that really hurt him would be his health. My father had an aneurysm 15 or 20 years ago. When you’re struck with that kind of problem, it affects other parts of your body. He could get around well [but] he was frustrated by his health.”

On February 17th, a remembrance service will be held in Don Cornelius’ honor. And Tony also mentioned that he plans to start a suicide foundation in his father’s memory.

“The more I’m away from all this, the more I look at it as a celebration [of his father’s life]. There are packages being produced on every station and the internet, all around the world, about the things he developed. It’s a situation where even younger people who never got a chance to see Soul Train are being introduced to a world that they didn’t get to experience… There are quite a few kids that are committing suicide. Many times out of tragedy comes help.”

[HollywoodReporter]

-@Kami2Kute