'Soul Train' Host And Creator Don Cornelius Dies

American soul, R&B and gospel lost a pioneer and an icon Wednesday.

Don Cornelius, the man who created and long hosted "Soul Train," American black music's TV showcase equivalent to Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," has died of a reportedly self-inflicted gunshot in Sherman Oaks, CA. He was 75.

Police responded Wednesday afternoon to Cornelius' home after a reported fired shot and found Cornelius dead, according to the New York Times. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Cornelius had shot himself.

Cornelius pondered creating an African-American take on Clark's rock n' roll and pop music party show while moonlighting as a radio news announcer at TV station WCIU in the 1960s. It wasn't until Aug. 17, 1970 that the very first "Soul Train" aired, featuring an emphasis on live dancing to accompany the soul and R&B hits of the moment. Cornelius became the soul of "Soul Train," with his silky suave manner and iconic baritone, almost entirely from the show's inception until he bid his hosting duties farewell in 1993.

It only took a year after the show's debut for it to reach syndication.

"If I saw 'American Bandstand' and I saw dancing and I knew black kids can dance better; and I saw white artists and I knew black artists make better music; and if I saw a white host and I knew a black host could project a hipper line of speech - and I did know all these things [then it was reasonable to try]," Cornelius said in a 1995 Associated Press interview.

By the 2006 last stop for "Soul Train," Cornelius' take on Clark's vision had outlasted it and become the longest-running nationally syndicated show in American television history. Even after stepping down as host, Cornelius remained an executive producer and parlayed his show's legacy into an annual awards show honoring the best in soul, R&B and gospel.

Cornelius told the Los Angeles Times not long ago that he'd been in discussions about a biographical movie looking behind the scenes of "Soul Train," to capture the brand's real legacy within the American black community.

His last years were weighed down with family trouble. He was arrested and charged in 2008 with spousal battery and dissuading a witness from making a police report, along with assault with a deadly weapon, but was given three years' probation instead.

He'd recently been caught up in an ugly divorce with his ex-wife Viktoria. According to TMZ, Cornelius requested via the pair's 2009 divorce papers "I am 72 years old. I have significant health issues. I want to finalize this divorce before I die."

He's survived by sons Anthony and Raymond.