by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
December 31, 2023
Maurice Hines, Broadway star and faucet dancing legend with brother Gregory, has died of pure causes at age 80.
Broadway has misplaced one in every of its tap-dancing legends. Maurice Hines, the brother of the late Gregory Hines, has died at age 80 on Dec. 29.
Hines was dwelling out his ultimate years at an assisted dwelling facility for aged entertainers, deemed the Actors Fund Dwelling, in Englewood, New Jersey, earlier than dying of pure causes. Folks confirmed the information by the power’s govt director, Jordan Strohl.
Rising up in Harlem, New York, he belonged to a household of performers. Via their shared ability of dance, particularly in faucet, he was a part of a father and sons dance present known as “Hines, Hines & Dad” along with his youthful sibling Gregory and their patriarch, Maurice Sr. Their success led to a efficiency on the “Ed Sullivan Present” in 1963.
Hines’ profession in Broadway prolonged to generations, getting his begin in 1954 with “The Lady In Pink Tights.” He was nominated for his first Tony Award in 1986 for Finest Efficiency by an Actor in a Main Position in a Musical for “UpTown…Its Sizzling!” The musical was an anthology depicting the historical past of Black music, and was created and directed by Hines himself.
His tumultuous skilled and private relationship along with his brother, Gregory, was additionally closely publicized. Though longtime efficiency companions, a 2019 documentary on their lives revealed that they didn’t converse for almost a decade. Nonetheless, after Gregory’s loss of life from most cancers in 2003, Hines went on the “Tappin’ Via Life” tour a decade later to pay tribute to his legacy.
The performer was an acclaimed director and choreographer, using his presents for the nationwide tour of Louis Armstrong’s musical biography Satchmo. He’s remembered by a fellow African-American legend in theater and movie, Debbie Allen, who paid homage to her former director.
“Maurice Hines, I used to be your first main woman in a present, ‘Guys and Dolls’”’ and I’ll all the time treasure our journey collectively,” expressed Allen. “My tears are for my lack of ability to talk with you or to carry you. I’ll ALWAYS SPEAK YOUR NAME. See you on the opposite aspect.”
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