Black men are dying at an insanely alarming rate and young and younger ages. According to KFF, the life expectancy for Black men in the United States in 2022 was 69.1 years. This is lower than the life expectancy for white men (77.5), and Hispanic men (80). Just check out this list of Black male public figures we’ve lost in the past five years, none of whom even made it to the insanely low 69.1 years of age:
- Rapper Rich Homie Quan, 33 (drug overdose, Sept. 5, 2024)
- Party Hip Hop Titan Justin Riley, 39 (pulmonary embolism, Aug. 15, 2024)
- Rapper Fatman Scoop, 56 (heart attack, Aug. 30, 2024)
- Former NFL Player Jacoby Jones, 40 (heart disease, July 14, 2024)
- NFL Rookie Khyree Jackson, 24, car crash, July 6, 2024)
- Rapper Julio Foolio, 26 (shot, June 23, 2024)
- NFL Hall of Famer Larry Allen, 53 (cause unknown, June 3, 2024)
- Rapper THF TP, 30 (shot, Feb. 7, 2024)
- Activist Dexter Scott King, 62 (prostate cancer, Jan. 22, 2024)
- Rapper Mdot EBK, 18 (shot, July 5, 2023)
- Rapper Big Pokey, 48 (heart attack, June 18, 2023)
- Migos Member Takeoff, 28 (shot, Nov. 1, 2022)
- Hip-Hop Legend Coolio, 59 (heart attack, Sept. 28, 2022)
- Rapper Young Dolph, 36 (shot, Nov. 17, 2021)
- Hip-Hop Legend Biz Markie, 57 (type 2 diabetes, July 17, 2021)
- Rapper Lil Loaded, 20 (suicide, May 31, 2021)
- Hip-Hop Legend Shock G, 57 (accidental drug overdose, April 22, 2021)
- Hip-Hop Legend DMX, 50 (heart attack due to drug overdose, April 9, 2021)
- Hip-Hop Icon MF DOOM, 49, Angioedema, Oct 31, 2020
- Rapper Tray Savage, 26, shot, June 19, 2020
- Entrepreneur/Activist/Rapper Nipsey Hussle, 33, shot, March 31, 2019
The Defender asked Houstonians about why they think it’s important for Black men to prioritize their health and well-being. Here’s what they said:
