Meadow Lemon III died yesterday. He was 83.
You probably know him better by his nickname: Meadowlark. Yes, we’re talking that Meadowlark Lemon – the one who became famous with the Harlem Globetrotters and was referred to as the “clown prince of basketball”.
He played with the Globetrotters for 24 years – 1955-1978 – leaving due to a contract dispute. He then formed and toured with his own basketball barnstorming team, but returned to the Globetrotters for 50 games during 1994.
Later in life, Lemon became a born-again Christian and an ordained minister. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
In case you’re wondering why this article is at TAH: yeah, he was a vet. He was a draftee, and served in the Army for 2 years during and after the Korean War (1952-1954).
Rest in peace, Mr. Lemon. Thanks for the memories – and for the service.
Comments
19 responses to “Another Bit of Americana Passes”
Rest in peace brother! Thank you for your service
It’s the first day of basic training and Lemon walks in for his uniform issue …
Awesome guy! I really enjoyed watching him and the Globetrotters.
RIP, sir.
And another sports star also died. MLB’s Dave Henderson. Only 57.
RIP
http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/dave-henderson-dies-rip-oakland-athletics-boston-red-sox-seattle-mariners-kansas-city-royal-san-francisco-giants-122715
This was a shock! Way too soon.
Glad I had the chance to see Meadowlark (and Curly) back in the day. He truly was the clown prince and a great showman.
RIP to both and thank you for your service Meadowlark.
My dad took me to see them back around 76-77. What a great time.
So, in the vein of good people passing away, I am sad to report that the long time family friend, widow of the WWII 101st Airborne Paratrooper, that I spoke of on the Valentine’s Day Weekend Open Thread, went to her reward on the morning of Wednesday 23 December at the age of 90.
Rest in Peace, Deloris. May you now join Charlie after 33 years of being apart and find eternal peace for the both of you.
My apologies to all. I did not want to make my comment appear as if I was only thinking of myself and the death of my long time friend.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Lemon. Your court antics provided me with many laughs throughout the years and Thank You for your service.
RIP and thank you for all you did for America.
And thank you for your service too.
When I was a kid I loved the Globetrotters; their two stars at the time were Meadowlark and Curly. (I just checked to see if Curly Neal is still with us, and he is.)
After watching him in person I never heard “Sweet Georgia Brown” again without smiling…
The Brother Bones version is the best….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opmwfRqdGsg
Great stuff!
Okay, now, I’m starting to feel old or something. The Globetrotters were on TV when I was a kid, which is when black & white TV was the standard and the antenna required some foil to get good reception.
Good to know that he served, too.
EX, I remember watching them on the black and white set too!
The water/paper bucket trick was the best!
I also remember ML was a costar the second and last season of “Hello, Larry.”
Rest In peace Mr. Lemon. Thank you for all of the laughs and the amazement, watching your skills, from a young boy to a now old man.
A great man who will be missed by many. RIP, kind sir. To your family, may you find peace.
Had the honor of meeting him years ago and watching him play several times. Always an ambassador for the best that is possible for each of us.
Thanks for sharing…drafted into the Military.☺had no clue. Their games were so awesome to watch…RIP LEMON
RIP, Meadowlark!