Brew News: Percy Sutton Dies

One of Harlem's major power brokers has died. Legendary civil rights attorney Percy Sutton died Saturday. He was 89.

Sutton represented Malcolm X before moving on to careers in politics and media. He was the son of a slave. Sutton moved to Harlem after serving with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. He represented Malcolm X and his family from his Harlem law office for many years. Sutton served as Manhattan's borough president in the mid-'60s and later, he and his brother, bought WLIB-AM, making it the first black-owned radio station in New York City. Sutton was the man behind the 1981 purchase and major renovation of Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.

President Obama said this about Sutton's death:

Percy Sutton was a true hero to African Americans in New York City and around the country. His life-long dedication to the fight for civil rights and his career as an entrepreneur and public servant made the rise of countless young African Americans possible.

The cause of Sutton's death has not been released.

Source

Source