WASHINGTON ¨C Dick Gregory, a comedian who lambasted racism and played a prominent role in the 1960s civil rights movement after becoming one of the first black comics to perform for white audiences, died on Saturday at age 84, his son said.
¡°It is with enormous sadness that the Gregory family confirms that their father, comedic legend and civil rights activist Mr. Dick Gregory departed this earth tonight in Washington, D.C.,¡± his son, Christian, wrote on Instagram.
Gregory, who lived in Washington, died of heart failure in Sibley Memorial Hospital, where he had checked in a week ago after falling ill, said his longtime publicist, Steve Jaffe.
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