British reggae singer Smiley Culture, who used word play and vocal banter to highlight the strains between young black men and police officers in his most popular songs, died during a police raid on his home.
Police said the singer, whose real name was David Emmanuel, killed himself when he plunged a knife into his own chest after police officers surrounded his home.
The sad irony is that Culture's best known song was named 'Police Officer' and rose to number 12 on the British music charts. The catchy tune based on his real-life experiences describes how Culture was caught with pot but escaped arrest after the police officer realized he was a popular singer.
Culture's other biggest hit was Cockney Translation, a lighthearted song that paid honor to black Britons who sought to express both their British and West Indian culture.
Though little known in the states, Culture worked with better known singers like Maxi Priest and appeared in David Bowie's film 'Absolute Beginners' in 1986.
Its hard to imagine why Culture, or anyone, in fact, would end their own life in such a brutal way as stabbing themselves in the heart.
But speculation will certainly center on last year's appearance by Culture before judges on a conspiracy charge of cocaine dealing.
No matter the circumstances, the death of Smiley Culture is certainly a sad ending for a singer who made people smile when he performed.
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Source: http://www.bvblackspin.com/2011/03/16/smiley-culture-80s-reggae-singer-dies-in-police-raid/
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