Clarence Williams III in Sugar Hill
Clarence Williams III (1939 - 2021)
Film Deaths[]
- Purple Rain (1984) [Frances L]: Shoots himself (off screen) in the head after Prince arrives at his house; the scene cuts after we hear a gun shot to Clarence being taken away by an ambulance with a large wound being covered on his head (It's not certain as to whether Clarence dies, but a later scene where Prince dedicates a song to Clarence does imply that he might be dead).
- 52 Pick-Up (1986) [Bobby Shy]: Shot to death by John Glover while Clarence is running up the staircase.
- Deep Cover (1992) [Detective Taft]: Shot by Jeff Goldblum; he dies in Laurence Fishburne's arms shortly afterwards.
- Sugar Hill (1994) [Arthur Romello "A.R." Skuggs]: Dies of a heroin overdose while his son (Michael Wright) looks on impassively. His body is shown again later on when his other son (Wesley Snipes) discovers him.
- Life (1999) [Winston Hancock]: Fatally beaten (off-screen) by Ned Vaughn, after Clarence slashes Ned's face; he dies after collapsing in front of Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy (who are framed for Clarence's murder).
- Reindeer Games (2000) ["Merlin"]: Burned to death after being squirted with clear alcohol by a liquid gun as Williams is holding a lighter thereby getting set on fire by Ben Affleck (he then falls through a window onto a parked car windscreen, his body is shown at the beginning of the film that then leads up to his death).
- American Gangster (2007) [Ellesworth "Bumpy" Johnson]: Dies of a heart attack in the middle of an electronic store while talking to Denzel Washington. (Historically; Bumpy actually died in the Wells Restaurant in Harlem, not in a electronic store).
- Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) [Maynard]: Dies (off-screen) of old age/natural causes between the 1930's scenes and the present.
TV Deaths[]
- Miami Vice: A Tale of a Goat (1985) [Legba]: Shot to death with a Shotgun by Philip Michael Thomas, causing Clarence to fall overboard from his boat.
- Against the Wall (1994 TV) [Chaka]: Shot to death by SWAT officers during the Attica prison riot.
- New York Undercover (1994 series) [Donald Brooks]: Shot to death by Bill Duke. His body is later shown on the sidewalk when Michael DeLorenzo and Malik Yoba arrive on the scene.
- Cold Case: Officer Down (2009) [Henry "Pops" Walters]: Dies (off-screen) after being shot in his store by Mateo Arias. He's seen when Jeremy Ratchford enters the store after Thom Barry is shot as well. The shooting is later seen in a flashback. He later appears as a ghost/figment of imagination to Thom at the end of the episode.
Notable Connections[]
- Ex-Mr. Gloria Foster.
- Grandson of Clarence Williams (musician).
Gallery[]
Clarence Williams III in 52 Pick-Up
Clarence Williams III dead in Cold Case: Officer Down