Stars, 3,000 fans attend late soul singer’s memorial

About 3,000 fans of the late Isaac Hayes gathered in Memphis on Monday to remember the soul music legend. Hayes died Aug. 10 at his home after suffering what his doctor believes to have been a stroke. “What would you say if you were flying into Memphis and they said you are about to land at Isaac Hayes International Airport ?” U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen asked the audience at the four-hour service, drawing applause. Funk icon Bootsy Collins and actor Richard Roundtree, who starred in the film Shaft that brought Hayes his biggest musical hit in the ’70s, both attended the memorial. Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson spoke fondly of the composer, who had become familiar to a new generation of fans as the voice of character Chef on Comedy Central’s “South Park.” Jackson called Hayes “a lovely man,” praising the singer for his activism in literacy and education as far away as Ghana, where he was named a king. Actors Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise and Wesley Snipes attended a private service in Hayes’ memory on Sunday.

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The R&B, soul icon passed away Sunday at the age of 65

A celebration of the life of powerhouse composer-musician Isaac Hayes will be held on Monday at Hope Presbyterian Church in Cordova, Tenn. The Grammy-, Golden Globe and Academy-award-winning artist passed away Sunday in Memphis at the age of 65. We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac’s dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers,” the family issued in a statement late Tuesday. For more on what the family said, the services and where to send condolences, go to  BET.com/News.

Fallen stars will both appear on screen in October

Two legendary Black entertainers, who died on consecutive days this past weekend, will appear together in the forthcoming movie Soul Men. Bernie Mac co-stars with Samuel L. Jackson in the comedy about a musical pair who reunites for a show at the famed Apollo Theater. Mac died of complications from pneumonia a day before real-life soul music legend Isaac Hayes, who also appears in Soul Men, died in Tennessee. Hayes’ death is being investigated, but early reports suggest that he suffered a possible stroke and heart attack. Soul Men hits theaters in October.