Lance Bass attends the 24th Annual Environmental Media Awards at Warner Bros. Studios on Saturday, October 18, 2014 in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)
Todd Williamson, Todd Williamson/Invision/AP
Tori Bowie of the United States celebrates after the Women’s 100m Final on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 13, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Bowie, born in Sand Hill, Miss., won three Olympic medals in 2016. The Team USA track and field star died in at the age of 32 due to complications in childbirth.
Buda Mendes, Getty Images
Jimmy Buffett performs at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, July 6, 2021. The Pascagoula, Miss.,-born singer songwriter, known for songs about escapism and an island lifestyle, died Sept. 1, 2023.
Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean
Singer-songwriter Sam Cooke was known as a great influencer of soul music and listed as one of the 35 greatest R&B artists of all time on Billboards 2015 list. Born in Clarksdale, Miss., in 1931, he was shot and killed by his manager in 1964.
Clarion Ledger File Photo
Brett Farve, born in Gulfport, Miss., in 1969 played 20 years in the NFL, primarily for the Green Bay Packers. After playing quarterback at the University of Southern Mississippi for four years, he was drafted in the second round. He played a record 299 consecutive games in the NFL with 6,300 completitions and 508 touchdowns. Farve was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Tom Olmscheid/AP
Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner, shown in this undated photo, was born in New Albany, Miss., in 1897. The writer, who also wrote screenplays, poems and short stories, is best known for his novels “The Sound and the Fury (1929), “As I Lay Dying (1930), and “Light in August (1932).
AP Photo
Former Ole Miss and WNBA star Jennifer Gillom led the Rebels to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Born in Abbeville, Miss., Gillom helped lead the United States women’s basketball team to a gold medal win in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea.
Courtesy/Mississippi Sports Hall Of Fame And Museum
Jim Henson, performing Kermit the Frog in the early 1980s, was born in Greenville, Miss., in 1936. Beyond creating the Muppets, the puppeteer, actor, animator, inventor and filmmaker was known for creating Fraggle Rock and directing The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Henson died in 1990 at the age of 53.
Richard Termine/courtesy Of The Jim Henson Company. Kermit The Frog © The Muppets Studio,
Faith Hill arrives at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 2, 2017. Born in Jackson, Miss., the Grammy award-winning singer has had multiple hits on both country and pop charts. Hill is married to Country-music singer Tim McGraw.
Jordan Strauss, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist John Lee Hooker was born near Clarksdale, Miss., in 1917. His first record was the successful “Boogie Chillen” in 1948. Throughout his long career, Hooker influenced artists both in the United States and abroad. His most successful album, the Grammy Award-winning 1989 album “The Healer,’ paired contemporary artists with Hooker and sold over one million copies.
Special To The Clarion Ledger
James Earl Jones, in a scene from the 1999 film, “The Annihilation of Fish,” was born in Arkabutla, Miss., in 1931. Jones has won Tony, Academy and Emmy Awards. The stage, film and television actor has a deep, resonant voice that is best known as Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” series which began in 1977 and as Mustafa in Disney’s 1994 “The Lion King.”
Courtesy/Milestone Films
B.B. King, seen in his last homecoming concert on May 25, 2014, was born near Itta Bena, Miss., in 1925. Widely considered the King of the Blues, he was in the 1980 inaugural class of the Blues Hall of Fame. In 1987 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. King died in 2015 at the age of 89.
Charles A. Smith/Clarion Ledger File Photo
Best known for his award-winning memoir “Heavy,” Kiese Laymon was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1974. The book was named one of the best memoirs in the past 50 years by The New York Times. His essay collection, “How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America” was named a notable book in 2021 by The Times. Laymon won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for fiction for “Long Division.” The author is the Libbie Shearn Moody Professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University.
Courtesy/Special To Clarion Ledger
Archie Manning takes time to talk to IndyStar’s Dana Benbow during a promotional visit to St. Vincent Neighborhood Hospital in Noblesville, Ind., on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. Manning was born in Drew, Miss., in 1949. His No.18 was the first of only four Ole Miss Jersey’s ever retired and he was drafted second overall in the 1971 NFL draft. He played most of his 14 years in the NFL with the Saints and twice made the Pro Bowl. He’s received many accolades and is well known for his philanthropic work. Manning was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Matt Kryger/IndyStar
After a record-breaking play at the University of Mississippi, Deuse McAllister, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2001 NFL draft, He played eight seasons with the Saints and was selected for two Pro Bowls. He was born in Ludlow, Miss., in 1978.
US Presswire
EXCLUSIVE – Gerald McRaney poses for a portrait with the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a drama series for “This Is Us” during night two of the Television Academy’s 2017 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Los Angeles. McRaney, born in Collins, Mss., in 1947, is best known for his work in the television series Simon and Simon, Major Dad, Promise Land, and House of Cards.
Jordan Strauss, Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Brandy Norwood attends the 2019 Black Girls Rock! Awards Red Carpet at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, in Newark, N.J. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP)
Brad Barket, Brad Barket/Invision/AP
Pro baseball pitcher Roy Oswalt, born in Weir, Miss, in 1977, played the majority of his professional career with the Houston Astros. He helped lead the Astros to their first World Series win in 2005. He was a three-time All-Star selected from 2005-2007. Selected by the Astros in the 1998 MBL draft, he also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers.
AP/File Photo
Walter Payton, born in Columbia, Miss., in 1953, played in the NFL as a running back for the Chicago Bears for 13 seasons. After playing four seasons at Jackson State University, Payton was the 1975 NFL draft first-round and fourth-overall pick. From 1976-1980, he back won the NFC rushing title for five straight years. He played nine Pro Bowl games and was named All-Pro and All-NFC seven times. Payton, who died in 1999 at the age of 46, was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Mike Powell/Getty Images File
Elvis Presley performs in a 1971 file photo. Known as the King of Rock and Roll, Presley, born in Tupelo, Miss., in 1935, started his recording career in 1954 at Sun Studios in Memphis. In late 1955, his contract was sold to RCA Victor and by ’56 he was an international sensation. He was a three-time Grammy winner and performed in 33 movies. His musical style, developed by diverse musical influences, helped challenge the social and racial barriers of the time. Presley died in 1977 at 42 years old.
Associated Press
Soprano Leontyne Price sings the part of “Aida” during rehearsals for the Verdi opera at the Staatsoper in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 1958, in this AP file photo. Price was the first black woman to sing at the Staatsoper. Born in Laurel, Miss., in 1927, Price rose to international acclaim in the 1950s and 60s and was the first African American to be a lead performer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
AP/File Photo
Jerry Rice reacts after scoring a touchdown in the San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIV win against the Denver Broncos at the Superdome in this Jan. 28, 1990 file photo. Born in Starkville, Miss., in 1962, the wide receiver played 20 seasons in the NFL. He was the San Francisco 49ers first-round draft pick in 1985, out of Mississippi Valley State. Rice played in four Super Bowls, winning three rings with the 49ers. Jerry Rice was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
USA TODAY Sports
LeeAnn Rimes performs during a tribute concert to Billy Joel, the recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, in this AP file photo Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. A singer, songwriter and actress, Rimes was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1982. Rimes, who had her first hit at the age of 13, has placed over 40 songs on international charts since 1996.
Carolyn Kaster, AP
Eric Roberts arrives at the premiere of “Day Shift” on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The film and television actor was born in Biloxi, Miss., in 1956. He’s a three-time Golden Globe nominee and an Academy Award nominee. Roberts has compiled over 750 credits during his more than 40-year career. He is the older brother of actress Julia Roberts.
Richard Shotwell, Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
This Nov. 11, 2014, AP file photo shows rapper Rick Ross posing for a portrait at Def Jam In New York in promotion of his album “Hood Billionaire,” released on Monday, Nov. 24. Ross, born William Leonard Roberts II in Clarksdale, Miss., in 1976, is a nine-time Grammy nominee. He founded the record label Maybach Music Group.
Victoria Will/Invision/AP
Teen sensation Britney Spears dances during her sold-out concert at the Grand Ole Opry House on Aug. 11, 1999. Born in McComb, Miss, in 1981, Spears has been credited with the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s and 2000s. A nine-time Grammy Award nominee, she has sold over 150 million albums worldwide.
Lisa Nipp / The Tennessean
In this Oct. 10, 2018, AP file photo, author Angie Thomas, whose debut novel, “The Hate U Give,” debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, laughs after answering a reporter’s question following a book signing. In 2001, the novel was made into a critically acclaimed film. Her second novel, “On the Come Up” was also a #1 New York Times best-seller as was “Concrete Rose,” her prequel to “The Hate You Give.” Thomas was born in Jackson, Miss., in 1988.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP File Photo
Former two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, seen in this AP file photo, was born in Gulfport, Miss., in 1966. Trethewey won a Nobel Prize in Poetry in 2007 for her collection of poetry “Native Guard.” A recipient of numerous awards, she is a Board of Trustees Professor of English at Northwest Univerity.
Rogelio V. Solis, AP File Photo
Ike Turner performs during the “Ike Turner and The Kings of Rhythm” concert at the Stravinski Hall stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, in this, July 19, 2002, AP file photo. Turner, born in Clarksdale, Miss., in 1931, whose role as one of rock’s critical architects was overshadowed by his ogre-like image as the man who brutally abused former wife and rock icon Tina Turner. Ike Turner, died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.
Fabrice Coffrini, AP File Photo
Country music star Conway Twitty was born in Friars Point, Miss., in 1933. Inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Twitty has 55 No. 1 hits.
Clarion Ledger/File Photo
Sela Ward, was born in Meridian, Miss., in 1956. The two-time Emmy Award winning actress, producer, author and former model has also won a Peabody Award, shared with other artists for “America” A tribute to Heros,” and a Golden Globe Award.
Special To The Clarion-Ledger
Muddy Waters, a six-time Grammy Award winner, was born McKinley Morganfield near Rolling Fork, Miss., Miss., in 1913. The blues musician and singer was first recorded in 1941 by a Library of Congress team. A leader in the Chicago blues scene, waters was a blues icon and influencer of rock and roll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Clarion Ledger/File Photo
American playwright Tennessee Williams, 31, is photographed at his typewriter in his New York apartment in 1942. Born in Columbus, Miss., in 1911, the playwright and screenwriter was best known for his plays “A Streetcar Named Desire,” The Glass Menagerie” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Williams died in 1983 at the age of 71.
AP/File Photo
Oprah Winfrey presents the award for best actor during the 29th Critics Choice Awards, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., in this Jan. 14, 2024, AP file photo. Winfrey, born in Kosciusko, Miss., in 1954, is a talk show host who went on to became a television producer, actress, author and media proprietor. A recipient of multiple awards, she received the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2013.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP File Photo
Author Eudora Welty, of Jackson, Miss., is shown in this 1972 AP file photo at an unknown location. Welty, born in Jackson, Miss., in 1909, was an author and photographer. Awarded numerous national and international honors, Welty was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1973 for her novel, “The Optimist’s Daughter.” Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000, she is widely considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. Welty died in 2001 at the age of 92.
AP/File Photo
Seen in this undated AP file photo, author Richard Wright, born in Roxie, Miss., in 1908, wrote of the plight of African Americans in the late 19th to mid-20th century. Best known for his 1945 autobiographical book “Black Boy” and his 1940 novel “Native Son,” also wrote drama, essays and poetry. Richard Wright died in 1960 in Paris, France at the age of 52.
AP/File Photo
Country music artist Tammy Wynette was born in Itawamba County, Miss., in 1942. Known as the “first lady of country music” from the ’50s through the ’80s, Wynette got her fist hit in 1967 with “Apartment Number 9,” but was best known for her 1968 hit, “Stand By Your Man,” which she co-wrote. She was a three-time recipient of the County Music Awards Female Artist of the Year award. She had 20 No.1 hits and earned over 1 million dollars in sales. Wynette died in 1998 at the age of 55.
Special To The Clarion Ledger
