Bedford-Stuyvesant

Arts & Entertainment

R.I.P. Radio Raheem. Spike Lee Memorializes Actor Bill Nunn Who Died at 63

September 26, 2016 11:24am | Updated September 26, 2016 11:24am
Actor Bill Nunn at the 25th anniversary screening of "Do The Right Thing"
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Patrick McMullan

Wherever he's gone, we hope he's still fighting the powers that be.

Actor Bill Nunn, best known for his role as the boombox-toting Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's 1989 film "Do the Right Thing," died Saturday in his hometown of Pittsburgh. He was 63 and had been battling cancer.

Director Lee paid tribute to his fellow Morehouse College alum in multiple Instagram posts, including one that alluded to the Public Enemy song that Raheem's radio is always blasting on the streets of Bed-Stuy during the movie.

Another featured an illustrated tribute by the artist Naturel, a.k.a. Lawrence Atoigue.

And a third showcased a poem by the Brooklyn-based poet and spoken word artist Lemon Andersen.

Lee and other commentators have noted the parallels between Raheem's death in "Do the Right Thing," in a police chokehold, to the 2014 death of Eric Garner, an event that fueled grassroots activism against police brutality in communities of color.

Before we let Nunn go, let's revisit his character's philosophical musings on the war between love and hate, worth keeping in mind this election cycle:

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