Jazz composer and bassist Bill Lee, father of Spike Lee, died this Wednesday (5/24) in New York, at the age of 94. Bill composed the scores for the director’s films before a quarrel between them ended their professional partnership. The Oscar winner confirmed the information on his Instagram, sharing a link to his obituary in the New York Times.
Bill Lee has recorded appearances on over 250 albums and has worked with stars such as Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Simon & Garfunkel and Harry Belafonte. Among the soundtracks he made for his son are “Ela Quer Tudo” (1986) and the hit “Faça a Coisa Certa” (1989).
But immediately after “More and Better Blues” (1990), the misunderstanding between father and son interrupts the professional relationship. In 1992, Spike Lee revealed to Esquire magazine that they “couldn’t collaborate anymore” and mentioned the difficulties getting along with his father’s second wife, Maria. First wife Jacquelyn (Spike’s mother) died in 1976.
Months earlier, Bill was arrested for heroin possession and asked his son for a loan, but Spike refused. For this reason, Bill has stated that he no longer has any connection with his son. “We haven’t heard from each other in two years,” he said. The musician also commented that he was grateful for being arrested. “He woke me up. Narcotics weren’t a part of my life until I was 40,” he revealed. “People remember you for the work you do,” he added.
According to Spike Lee, his film “Family Upside Down” (1994) was “very, very, very loosely based” on his childhood with his father. His brothers Cinqué and Joie, who worked together on the series “She Wants It All” (2017), contributed to the screenplay for that film, which starred Alfre Woodard (“Annabelle”) and Delroy Lindo (“The Core: Mission to the Center of the Earth”) as parents of five in Brooklyn, New York in 1973. When their father loses his job, their lives become complicated.
In 2009, Spike and Bill met publicly at the 20th anniversary screening of the film ‘Do the Right Thing’ at the Directors Guild of America Theater in New York City, where they even posed together on the red carpet. They reunited again for an event celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary, held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater in 2014.
Spike Lee posted a tribute to his father on Instagram, alongside a photo from the 60s, in which he appears next to Bob Dylan. “My dad, Bill Lee, played bass on Bob Dylan’s classic ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’ on his ‘Bringing It All Home’ album. This morning, May 24, my dad made his transition. Today is also the turn of Bob Dylan birthday. Today is also the birthday of Jackson Lewis Lee who is my son and Tonya Lewis Lee brother of Satchel Lee and nephew of dad. I also have to give love to our sister Tina Turner, who passed away today, May 24, 2023. My God. What a day. The Lee family thanks everyone for their sincere condolences.”
Source: Terra
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