The last weekend of July, fans of everything from Hollywood to basketball faced the losses of some of the industries’ most beloved icons.
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As someone who has been involved in media and entertainment for several decades, Today’s Al Roker took some of the deaths to heart, and honored each of them with special tributes.
The star took to Instagram to honor the lives of Bill Russell, Nichelle Nichols, and Pat Carroll.
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For Bill, who played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1969 and is considered to have revolutionized professional basketball, Al shared pictures of some of his career wins, including one of him receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
The weatherman hailed him an undisputed legend, and highlighted his incredible accomplishments beyond basketball as well.
He wrote in his caption: “The greatest basketball player of all time, who was also a civil rights leader, author, philanthropist and amazing person died today at the age of 88. His passing leaves an incredible void.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgsPD5RuBm6/
A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker)
Al’s touching tribute to the basketball icon
Al then paid tribute to yet another revolutionary star, Nichelle, who passed away aged 89. Sharing pictures of her iconic role as Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, he wrote: “Lt. Uhura was a groundbreaking character, as a Black character on television in authority, and shared the first inter-racial kiss on network TV with Capt. Kirk 52 years ago.”
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His third and final was to Pat, who voiced the unforgettable Ursula in The Little Mermaid, and of whom he said: “While I remember her from countless TV shows from the 60s to the 80s, she’ll be best known as Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.”
Pat died aged 95, while Nichelle was 89
The father-of-three, who fans usually rely on to post morning updates daily, has remained unusually absent on social media since the heartbreaking tributes.
A fan acknowledged what a difficult weekend it had been, writing: “Mr. Roker… Thank you for sharing this info about the passing of another life that brought so much joy to so many. But today has been one heck of a rough day for this kind of celebration… Ms. Michelle Nichols, Mr. Bill Russell and now Ms. Pat Carroll. I think I need this day to be over…”
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