Smokey, Dionne, Valerie Say Goodbye to Friend

I’m so sorry to report the death– belatedly– of Helen Cash Jackson. The wife of R&B great Chuck Jackson died on May 27th in Harlem. She was 70. Helen was an ethereal beauty, a beautiful intellect. She was a director at the New York State Council on the Arts for about 30 years. Last night she was mourned at Benta’s in a memorial service attended by Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, and Valerie Simpson, who, I am told, performed and brought the house down. Helen’s sister was the great actress Rosalind Cash, who was a fixture on TV and in theater before her own death from cancer. Chuck– whose hits include “Any Day Now” and “I Keep Forgetting”– and Helen have been long time supporters of the Apollo Theater for many many years as well. Helen was one of those people you just always looked forward to seeing. Condolences to Chuck and to all of her family and friends.