Ralph Wiley has died. For those of you who do not know him he was deep!

[wndycty]

This man was one of my idols. I was a fan of his graceful indignance. That brotha was deep! For those of you who do not know his work he was an excellent writer and social commentator when it came to race and sports. RIP Ralph!



Monday, June 14, 2004
Wiley, 52, was provocative, respected writer
ESPN.com

Ralph Wiley, one of the original Page 2 columnists and former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, died Sunday night of heart failure. He was 52 years old.

Wiley joined Page 2 at its inception in November 2000 and had written more than 240 columns for ESPN.com .

"For the past three and a half years, Ralph has produced a body of work that was both exceptional and insightful and arguably the best sports commentary on the web," said John Walsh, executive vice president and executive editor, ESPN.
-snip-

His second book, a collection of essays entitled " Why Black People Tend to Shout " was rejected, Wiley estimated, "25 or 30 times" by publishers. The book sold well and also got good reviews. "It is not easy to express how it feels to be a black man in the 1990s," wrote Alex Raksin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Ralph Wiley is one of the few who have been able to find just the right tone."

Wiley's writing was intentionally provocative. "As an essayist I don't believe in the fiction of an anonymous observer. Rather than the sham of objectivity, I think you should put your perspective up front. That's only fair to the reader," he told Essence in 1993, shortly after the publication of his second book of essays, " What Black People Should Do Now: Dispatches from Near the Vanguard ", was published in 1993.
-snip-

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1821759&type=story

[phillybri]

1. Wow....that's sad...

He was so young...Good writer.

[nycmjkfan]

6. Wow.

Weird reading his last piece from 4 days ago. How trivial everything is compared to death.


RIP, Ralph!

[GOPisEvil]

2. Oh my Goodness!

I've enjoyed his work for years. How sad.

RIP Ralph. :-(

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. That sucks

He was smart and gutsy. RIP, Ralph!

[Leprechan29]

4. He seems to be more than a mere writer

But an expert in all aspects of life - sports, culture, and the world around him. And able to put thoughts to paper; That must be his greatest contribution to the world

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. RIP, Ralph

I've read his columns for the last several years. Many times, I have drastically disagreed with his columns and felt they were unnecessarily controversial, but I was always able to respect him. His is a voice that will be dearly missed.

[wndycty]

7. He always made interesting points. . .

:kick: