Comments Posted Online by John Tennison, M.D. upon Learning of Omar Sharriff's Death
I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Omar Sharriff. Omar's death is all the more tragic to me because he was only 73 years old and he had tremendous unrealized potential.
Omar was a brilliant musician who was full of musical ideas. If Omar had continued to live, he would have been fully capable of realizing these musical ideas in the form of new performances and recordings, which would have further expanded an already-impressive musical legacy.
The untimely tragic death of Omar Sharriff will likely prompt a re-examination by some of Sharriff's musical legacy. Having listened to all of the commercial recordings that Omar released over the years, I have no doubt that anyone who examines this full body of work will come to similar conclusions that I and others have reached: As previously noted by Contemporary Keyboard Magazine in 1975, Omar Sharriff (then known as Dave Alexander) was a "living legend."
I am grateful to the people of Marshall, Texas (especially Jack and Nancy Canson) who gave so much of their time and energy to facilitate Omar having a better quality of life as compared to Omar's prior state of existence in Sacramento, California.
Omar was a living legend. He is now legendary.
Rest in Peace, Omar Sharriff (Born March 10, 1938, Died January 8, 2012).
-- John Tennison, M.D., January 8, 2012