Respect and condolences for the friends, fans and colleagues of Bill Nunn, who’s passed after only 62 years of life. I knew him best as “Radio Raheem” in Spike Lee‘s Do The Right Thing (’89), which was shot when the Pittsburgh-born Nunn was 34. Sidenote: Raheem’s ghetto blaster ignites a fierce battle (racist Italian pizza guys vs. African American Fort Greene natives) in this scene from Lee’s film. In the view of Raheem and friends, assaulting passersby with ear-splitting music was a celebration of their culture, but to most New Yorkers back then (and I’m speaking as an ex-resident) ghetto blasters were a scourge. They made life hell for thousands of Central Park visitors on weekends. A friend told me about a kid on a bike who was blasting sounds somewhere near an open pasture in southern Central Park, and suddenly the kid lost his balance and the blaster fell and shattered and was silent. A few people leapt to their feet and started cheering.