“Do the Right Thing” director Lee was among those paying tribute, posting a picture of a signed “Sweet Sweetback” poster on Instagram. In addition to his writing and filmmaking, Van Peebles had several shows on Broadway, including the musical “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” which earned seven Tony nominations. The film got him noticed by Hollywood, with Columbia Pictures signing him to direct the 1970 racial satire “Watermelon Man,” about a white bigot who overnight turns into a Black man. His first feature, “The Story of a Three-Day Pass,” told the tale of a Black US soldier who is demoted for fraternizing with a white girl in France. Born in 1932 in Chicago, Van Peebles graduated with a degree in literature and served in the US Air Force, before variously working as an artist, writer, director, musician and novelist.
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