“We went to — I’ll call her the matriarch of our South Florida community when it comes down to phenomenal heroine Black actresses — and that was Toddra Brunson,” Pride said. “We went to Toddra, and we said, ‘Toddra, you know, you’ve been such a tremendous collaborator with us, we want to do something for you. What is the role that you’ve always wanted to play? What show do you want to do?’ And she said, ‘I want to play Shug Avery in ‘The Color Purple,’’ and we were like, ‘Done!’

     His family confirmed the news to Rolling Stone, stating the veteran singer died following a stroke and “transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”

            The rapper — born Robert Ginyard — passed away peacefully after a private battle with cancer on Friday surrounded by family … just four days after celebrating his birthday.

     “The old protect the young. The young protect the old.” Those prophetic words are also the premise of this Star Wars chapter. It’s perhaps the most visually disappointing film in the franchise.  Still, it’s filled with enough commotion to capture and keep action/adventure audiences intrigued and satisfied.