The last time I saw Don Cornelius was this summer at the “Soul Train” reunion party in the Windy City. He was flanked by his two sons and his longtime bodyguard.
He was in rare form. He exchanged playful insults, often profanity-laden, with his childhood friend, WBEZ’s Richard Steele, a moderator for a panel discussion and screening of VH1’s “Hippest Trip in America.”
The Chicago crowd was alternately amused and stunned at his irreverent honesty. I was impressed that the normally reserved, super-cool host I had grown up watching was a little edgy.
