Remembrance of Gene Anthony Ray (aka Leroy Jones of Fame)

Gene Anthony Ray

Watching him dance was quite literally a breathtaking experience. literally.   How could anyone move with so much style, grace, and natural beauty! And he was a self-taught dancer  with tons of natural talent . 

Gene Anthony Ray was born on May 24 1962 in Harlem and grew up street dancing. Later, like his character in Fame, he enrolled at the High School of the Performing Arts, only to be expelled after the first year. "It was too disciplined for this wild child of mine," said his mother.

Ray was 17 when he auditioned for Fame. Handsome, with doleful eyes, he later claimed that "the eyes had as much to do with obtaining the role of Leroy as the dance. A flash from those babies followed by a routine and I had them all hooked".

Parker's choreographer Louis Falco was bowled over: "Gene uncovered something inside me that I hadn't witnessed before," he recalled. "He was just incredible. I felt like I was in the same shoes as the person who had maybe seen Fred Astaire for the first time." There was no question in Falco or Parker's mind that the confident, slightly confrontational Gene Anthony Ray and Leroy Johnson were one and the same.

His life started falling apart in 1984 after his mother was jailed for running a drug ring, and he failed to turn up for work 100 times and got fired.  He eventually got a job dancing with the Weather Girls (Martha Wash of "It's raining men" fame)and the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Carrie (1988), in which he was Billy, the nastiest of the boys.  He also did some commercial work for Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper. 

Despite his incredible talent and fan appeal, the twin demons of drug addiction and  alcoholism overwhelmed him and  he found himself sleeping on park benches, and during a failed attempt to launch a Fame-style dance school in Milan, sharing a flat there with a porn actress. In 1996 he was diagnosed HIV positive. He suffered a stroke in 2003 and died a few months later..

Flamboyantly camp, he brushed aside questions about his sexuality. He never married.

This obituary by Marcus best I have found to describe the world's loss at his passing  May he rest in peace.

November 22, 2003

OBITUARY: Gene Anthony Ray Gene

OBITUARY: Gene Anthony Ray
Gene Anthony Ray, the actor who played Leroy Johnson in
'Fame', died yesterday in Manhattan at the age of 41.
I am writing this with a great sadness in my heart. 'The Kids
from Fame' was the soundtrack to my childhood, and I'm not
afraid to admit it! The explosive talent of Gene's singing and
dancing could be felt once as BBC1 broadcast the weekly
episode. The show would be duly recorded and I'd spend the
following week learning the new songs and practicing the dance
routines in front of the TV.
Gene brought a force and determination to the character of
Leroy, in his passionate dance routines and tempestuous
on-screen relationships. My favourite song routines included
the kitsch-camp 'Desdemona', the smooth-as-chocolate
'Lay Back and Be Cool', and the uplifting ensemble numbers
like 'Starmaker'.
There is a certain grace & style in male dancers and Gene was
up there with the best. He pulsated, rocked and leapt through
the air. Thank you Gene - you'll live forever and I will  remember
your name...

[for more obituaries, see www.fameforever.com]
Posted by marcus at November 22, 2003 09:12 PM