Maurice Hines is DEAD to me!

Well that’s sad news. I was saying that 75 seems young these days in the Tom Wilkinson thread but so does 80. Even Marlon Brando made it to 80.

But this is the age of Covid, and a generation who smoked for decades.

Hines, Hines & Dad were a fixture of '60s variety shows.

Was either Maurice or Gregory gay? Or both? Genuinely curious.

Maurice was gay and out; his parents, particularly his mother, were supportive:

[quote]My mother and father never said "Don't do this" or "Don't act that way." There was never any of that. They accepted me for who I was and they always did. And my brother too. And we were around people that were so open about everything. There was no stigma about anything. It was a great life. I've had a great, great life with fantastic people who nurtured me to be the man I am today. I'm so grateful for that life and those people that we met so young, especially those chorus boys because they were out, baby. They didn't hide nothing. They weren't lewd or nasty about it. They were just themselves.

Oh, no!

Maurice was such a nice man and, like his late brother Gregory, a brilliant dancer and choreographer.

Rest In Peace.

Crazy Rhythm.

Enjoyed the documentary on him. he and Grggies relationship was wrought with drama.

I never understood the rift with the Bros. Can someone enlighten me? Grateful

After Gregory left the "Hines, Hines, and Dad" act in 1972, the brothers didn't see much of each other. Gregory said, "The act might have been what kept us together. And when it was gone, it was tough for us to find a reason to spend time together." After they worked together in "The Cotton Club" (1984), they didn't talk for years. In 2016, Maurice told the NYT, "People think it was show business jealousy, but it was a personal thing and we promised our mother we would never discuss it. Siblings have their problems, but Gregory and I always understood and supported each other."

Gregory wouldn't have cared about his gayness, hopefully.

Not at all. Maurice mentions in the documentary at R7 that he and Gregory would sometimes go to gay bars together and that there was never any controversy in his family, only acceptance and concern about the difficulties Maurice might face against an additional layer of prejudice.

It seems clear, though, that Maurice's brother was willful and ungrateful when it came to what Maurice had done for him, bringing Gregory back to New York and resurrecting his career in Eubie! after Gregory abandoned the family act and flopped trying to make it as a musician in LA. When Gregory won his Tony for Jelly's Last Jam, he blatantly thanked everyone in his family except Maurice. Whatever the cause of the rift was between the brothers went to the grave with them.

[quote]Whatever the cause of the rift was between the brothers went to the grave with them.

So be it.

The passing of a giant and the end of an era.

Gregory was the sexy one, so I blame Maurice.

Sesame Street

To me, Maurice was the sexier brother. Gregory reminded me of Urkel.

So sad to hear this! May he rest in peace.

R17 I felt the same way until I saw Waiting to Exhale. He was all butched up, moving boxes, being sexual and manly and I fell in love. I only learned of Maurice’s existence the day he died. My mind might change.