Community
Motown Icon Gino Parks faces health crisis, supporters launch fundraiser for medical care
Gene Purifoy, revered by fans of 1950s and 1960s rhythm and blues as Gino Parks, is facing severe health challenges at age 92, prompting a public fundraising effort to support his long-term care.
Motown icon Gino Parks
A Fairfield, Alabama native, Parks relocated to Detroit in the mid-1950s, where he quickly rose to acclaim performing at iconic nightclubs including the 20 Grand, Phelp’s Lounge, Lee’s Club Sensation and the Rage Show Bar. He gained national recognition through collaborations with R&B pioneer Andre Williams and released his first solo single with Fortune Records in 1957.
A few years later, Parks became one of Berry Gordy’s early signings to the then-nascent Tamla Records, later Motown, where he recorded a series of influential R&B tracks admired by collectors and historians alike.
Gino Parks faces health challenges
Now, Parks is in urgent need of long-term nursing home care—a financial burden his family is struggling to meet.
GoFundMe launched for community support
Supporters have launched a GoFundMe to assist with medical costs and daily care needs. All donations will go directly toward Parks’ nursing home fees and related healthcare expenses.
To contribute and learn more about Parks’ legacy, visit the campaign page here.
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine®
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
NAACP launches National Black Man Voter Day with week of action aimed at mobilizing 100,000 Black men
Former NFL defensive end Allen Bailey dies at 37
University of Maryland Tennis Club issues public apology after racist imagery sparks backlash
Mississippi Attorney General says officer was justified in shooting that killed 1‑year‑old Kohen Wiley
Police veteran begins rare cancer fight after pleomorphic sarcoma diagnosis
VP of Detroit funeral home found dead days after family said mother was mistakenly cremated
Black Aerospace Professionals Development Director Haifa Baptiste dies in Costa Rica flash flood
Mississippi police make second arrest in death of Black woman found hanging from tree
Justice for Nolan Wells Reward Fund raises $300k
California couple welcomes rare mixed triplets weighing 19 pounds total, nearly breaking world record
Woody Shaw’s Avant‑Garde ‘Song of Songs’ returns to vinyl after 50 years through Jazz Dispensary’s Top Shelf Series
Kansas City’s Copper Boyz Ranch provides youth violence‑prevention through horsemanship
Nolan Wells’ family demands ‘thorough’ investigation: “What we’ve been told does not make sense”
Peabo Bryson, Grammy‑winning voice behind two Disney classics, dies at 75
OWN greenlights first-ever ‘Belle Collective’ spinoff Belle Collective: Birmingham
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoBoston rapper Rahim “V Knuckles” Muhammad dies at 46 after fight with brain cancer
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoMajor Jewel McDonald, oldest known living man in the U.S., dies at 110
-
In Memoriam2 weeks agoCurtis Flowers, Mississippi man wrongfully convicted after being tried for the same killings 6 times, dies at 56
-
New Jersey2 weeks agoNew Jersey mom demands answers after 4‑year‑old son died at daycare
-
Real Voices2 weeks agoWoman dies after stopping to help trapped driver of flipped car on interstate
-
Culture2 weeks agoBlack Public Media to premiere “The Morgue Twins,” spotlighting twin NYC mortuary technicians
-
Health & Wellness2 weeks agoTeen brother to donate lifesaving bone marrow to younger sister battling sickle cell
-
Police2 weeks agoDr. Anita Allen makes history as the first Black woman police chief in a Metro Atlanta city