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Ex-Wife Scores Huge Life Insurance Payout
We now know who made the call to 911 after Don Cornelius shot himself in the head early this morning -- it was his own son.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... one of Don's two sons made the call around 4:00 AM ... and paramedics were immediately dispatched to Don's Sherman Oaks home in an effort to save his life.
Don was transported to a nearby hospital -- where he was later pronounced dead. Don Cornelius did not leave a suicide note at the home where he shot himself ... this according to multiple law enforcement sources. We have been told by numerous people today that Don's health problems plagued him for years ... and the pain had become unbearable.
As we first reported, Don was discovered early this morning at his Sherman Oaks, CA home with a gunshot wound to his head. The picture shows the ambulance that took Don to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead early this morning. Don Cornelius died with 2 life insurance policies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the ex-wife he hated will get all the money ... TMZ has learned. Don's breakup with Viktoria Chapman Cornelius was brutal. He was convicted of domestic abuse and, according to him, she pepper sprayed him multiple times. During the divorce in 2009, Don said in legal docs obtained by TMZ, 'I am 72 years old. I have significant health issues.
I want to finalize this divorce before I die."
The divorce was indeed finalized later that year, but there's a provision in the settlement agreement that says Don must make Viktoria the beneficiary of both of his life insurance policies -- totaling around $300,000 in benefits.
Under California law, if a policyholder commits suicide within 2 years of the time the policy is issued, the company can deny payment. But Don had the policy for more than 2 years, so Viktoria -- the woman he despised -- will get the loot. Currently reports have indicated that there is no sign of foul play, but the case is still under investigation. In the last interview Cornelius was extremely excited about a movie project that he was developing about “Soul Train.” Cornelius said “We’ve been in discussions with several people about getting a movie off the ground. It wouldn’t be the ‘Soul Train’ dance show, it would be more of a biographical look at the project…..It’s going to be about some of the things that really happened on the show.” Reports indicate that Cornelius was found earlier this morning by a family member suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Earlier today Quincy Jones told the New York Times “I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius…..Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was Soul Train, that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched.” Let’s remember his legacy in the photos and videos below:
Legendary "Soul Train" creator and host Don Cornelius died at age 75 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Los Angeles police answering a report of a shooting at his home found Cornelius early Wednesday morning and he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Born in Chicago in 1937, Cornelius found employment early on as an insurance salesman and a traffic police officer before starting a life-long career in broadcast. With his smooth baritone voice, he worked as a radio announcer , news reporter and a DJ.
In 1970, on the heels of the civil rights movement, Cornelius premiered "Soul Train" on a local Chicago television station. The show, fashioned after Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," went national a year later, and as its host, made his mark on the television landscape for nearly 25 years.
The Reverend Al Sharpton met Cornelius at the age of 19 and considered him a close friend. "He exposed black music and black dance to the world and he took us from 'race music' to the human race," said Sharpton. "It reflected who we were and where we were in that generation, musically, the stars we heard on the radio, and then combined that with the dance and the fashion," said Vy Higginsen, the executive director of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. The show, with its signature "soul train line," featured iconic performers like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and the Isley Brothers, as well as up-and-coming artists. “His legacy is really the sales of so many black artists. They sold so many records because he introduced them again on television," said Ann Tripp, the news director at WBLS and WLIB. Cornelius stepped down as host in 1993, but "Soul Train" chugged on through 2006.
In recent years, Cornelius' personal life made headlines. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery and his marriage with his wife Victoria came to a bitter end in 2009. The couple had two sons. Cornelius was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Happy Valentines!! Get something nice.
Ex-Wife Scores Huge Life Insurance Payout
Don was transported to a nearby hospital -- where he was later pronounced dead. Don Cornelius did not leave a suicide note at the home where he shot himself ... this according to multiple law enforcement sources. We have been told by numerous people today that Don's health problems plagued him for years ... and the pain had become unbearable.
As we first reported, Don was discovered early this morning at his Sherman Oaks, CA home with a gunshot wound to his head. The picture shows the ambulance that took Don to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead early this morning. Don Cornelius died with 2 life insurance policies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the ex-wife he hated will get all the money ... TMZ has learned. Don's breakup with Viktoria Chapman Cornelius was brutal. He was convicted of domestic abuse and, according to him, she pepper sprayed him multiple times. During the divorce in 2009, Don said in legal docs obtained by TMZ, 'I am 72 years old. I have significant health issues.
Under California law, if a policyholder commits suicide within 2 years of the time the policy is issued, the company can deny payment. But Don had the policy for more than 2 years, so Viktoria -- the woman he despised -- will get the loot. Currently reports have indicated that there is no sign of foul play, but the case is still under investigation. In the last interview Cornelius was extremely excited about a movie project that he was developing about “Soul Train.” Cornelius said “We’ve been in discussions with several people about getting a movie off the ground. It wouldn’t be the ‘Soul Train’ dance show, it would be more of a biographical look at the project…..It’s going to be about some of the things that really happened on the show.” Reports indicate that Cornelius was found earlier this morning by a family member suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
Earlier today Quincy Jones told the New York Times “I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius…..Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was Soul Train, that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched.” Let’s remember his legacy in the photos and videos below:
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| James Brown, Don Cornelius and Rev. Al Sharpton |
The Reverend Al Sharpton met Cornelius at the age of 19 and considered him a close friend. "He exposed black music and black dance to the world and he took us from 'race music' to the human race," said Sharpton. "It reflected who we were and where we were in that generation, musically, the stars we heard on the radio, and then combined that with the dance and the fashion," said Vy Higginsen, the executive director of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. The show, with its signature "soul train line," featured iconic performers like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and the Isley Brothers, as well as up-and-coming artists. “His legacy is really the sales of so many black artists. They sold so many records because he introduced them again on television," said Ann Tripp, the news director at WBLS and WLIB. Cornelius stepped down as host in 1993, but "Soul Train" chugged on through 2006.
In recent years, Cornelius' personal life made headlines. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery and his marriage with his wife Victoria came to a bitter end in 2009. The couple had two sons. Cornelius was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Happy Valentines!! Get something nice.
