All I knew is that he had a sudden stroke, and (as they broke it on the news during Justice With Judge Jeanine) died from said stroke and complications thereof at 69 years old while he was in a Palm Beach, FL hospital; thus, he ended his career. I didn't think about him being a Civil Rights icon until I thought about the following a little further: he was a legendary saxophone player beginning in 1972, just as the Vietnam War was going to end (in 1974) and four years after a Black Republican who Bruce Springsteen wouldn't see eye-to-eye with on many issues (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) died.
So, a bandmate and friend of a White Democrat coming on the heels of a prominent Black Republican icon in the Civil Rights and Vietnam Era is pretty significant, and his or her death would thus be significant. Therefore, a Black saxophonist in a often-labeled "secular" field and in a band led by a very-liberal White Democrat left a legacy of being a breakthrough man or pioneer, and a stark contrast to the D.Div. holder who was obviously a Modern Conservative (Classical Liberal) and in a often-labeled "sacred [as if anything else isn't sacred] field.
So, a bandmate and friend of a White Democrat coming on the heels of a prominent Black Republican icon in the Civil Rights and Vietnam Era is pretty significant, and his or her death would thus be significant. Therefore, a Black saxophonist in a often-labeled "secular" field and in a band led by a very-liberal White Democrat left a legacy of being a breakthrough man or pioneer, and a stark contrast to the D.Div. holder who was obviously a Modern Conservative (Classical Liberal) and in a often-labeled "sacred [as if anything else isn't sacred] field.