Black cinema icon Melvin Van Peebles passed away at the age of 89.

The writer, director, actor, and producer was a towering figure in ‘70s filmmaking and notably Blaxploitation films, and left a highly influential legacy.

His family revealed he passed away Tuesday evening at his Manhattan home.      

Often dubbed the “godfather of modern Black cinema,” Van Peebles left no stones unturned in exploring the many talents he fostered as he wrote several plays, books, and recorded numerous albums, all whilst being a multi-instrumentalist and writing his own lyrics.

But he cemented his legacy in 1971 with the release of his film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, which he wrote, directed, starred in, produced, edited, and scored, proving once and for all that he is a one-man powerhouse. The low-budget cult classic focuses on a Black young man running away from the police after killing white officers who were assaulting a Black revolutionary.

Van Peebles left a lasting impression on Black viewers and changed Black cinema forever, with his depiction of ghetto life, the empowering message of Black rebellion, and his commitment to embracing Black culture in all of its facets as is clear in its title. The film is considered by many to be the progenitor of the infamous Blaxploitation genre.

At the time, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song turned out to be the highest-earning independent film after making $14 million on a $500,000 budget, influencing filmmakers such as Spike Lee and even becoming required viewing for members of the revolutionary movement Black Panther Party.

The filmmaker’s career extended well beyond this film as he, later on, became the recipient of two Tony Awards for his stage work in Broadway and the 1981 iconic all-Black TV series The Sophisticated Gents.

His son, actor and filmmaker Mario Van Peebles released a powerfully elegiac statement:

“Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth?...True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”

What is Blaxploitation?

The Blaxploitation genre became a staple of independent American cinema in the ‘70s. Its cornerstones are having a low-to mid-budget, have a mostly or an all-black cast, and mainly marketing towards a black urban audience.

The “exploitation” part of the genre’s name is caused by the attempt to exploit certain sensational black-centric issues and sensationalize them in the film, notably themes of rebellion, and ghetto culture.

Most Blaxploitation films are genre films, meaning they tend to adopt common conventions tropes from genres such as horror, crime, and western.

Notable examples of Blaxploitation films include Dolemite (1975), Black Caesar (1973), Shaft (1971) and Blacula (1972).