Legendary director, writer, composer, actor and author Melvin Van Peebles has died. He was 89. According to Billboard, in a statement, his family said that Van Peebles died Tuesday (September 21st) evening at his home in Manhattan, New York City.
His son Mario Van Peebles said in a statement, “Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”
Van Peebles, who was dubbed "the godfather of modern Black cinema" wrote numerous plays, books and even recorded several albums. He is best known for his 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, one of the most influential movies of its time. Van Peebles financed and released the film independently, paving the way for independent cinema.
Van Peebles was married once to actress and photographer Maria Marx, in the 1950s, but the marriage ended in divorce several years later.
In addition to son Mario, he is survived by daughter Megan Van Peebles, son Max Van Peebles and a host of grandchildren.