Dick Gregory Passed Away!

Dick Gregory Passed away.

A powerful voice in the Civil Rights movement passed away. Comedian and activist Dick Gregory Passed away at the age of 84.

Born Richard Claxton Gregory, he was born in St. Louis. He was raised by a single mother. In order to support the family, he would do odd jobs and errands to make ends meet. He leaves behind a his wife Lillian and his ten children.

He was an avid track runner and served in the U.S. Army when he was drafted.

Gregory used the power of comedy to help get the message out social injustice.

A man who was strong on words and proud to be unapologetic when it came to issues in the Black community.

He began his stand up comedy in the 1960s. He performed in front of large white audiences and got his break performing on Jack Paar. Darryl Littleton, author of the book Black Comedians on Black Comedy, told NPR in 2009 that Gregory broke barriers with his appearances on television, just by sitting down:

"Dick Gregory is the first to recognized — and he'll say it — the first black comedian to be able to stand flat-footed, and just delivered comedy. You had other comedians back then but they always had to do a little song or a dance or whatever, Sammy Davis had to dance and sing, and then tell jokes. Same with Pearl Bailey and some of the other comedians. But Dick Gregory was able to grow on television, sit down on the Jack Paar show — and sit on the couch and actually have a discussion, and that it never happened in the history of television."

According to NBC News, he was suffering from a bacterial infection and succumbed to the illness on Saturday.

Gregory had called the U.S., the most racist nation on the planet and made his opinion very clear in public.

He had ran for mayor in Chicago and a run for president under the Freedom and Peace Party. He was on the ballot in eight states.

Celebrities and politicians have expressed condolences to his family.

He will be missed by many.