Foxx passed away from a heart attack at the age of 68, in 1991; while Malcolm X was brutally a*sassinated at age 39, in 1965. The sharp contrast between these two greats was surprisingly quite the opposite when they were youngins, as both later noted in books and/or interviews. Malcolm X and Redd – who went by the nicknames, “Detroit Red” and “Chicago Red” back then- became friends due to their similar circumstances at that time. Redd migrated from Chicago, IL to Harlem, NY, and Malcolm X migrated from Detroit, IL to Harlem – both fleeing tough home environments.
Per Foxx, “Malcolm was about the same color as me. You could hardly tell us apart. …We both had those konks [hair straightening] and our hair was red with a high pompadour and we had the zoot pants- just like the ‘high drape pants’ Billie Holiday used to sing about in her blues.” Malcolm was the only person Redd really trusted. “They used to rob places together and sleep on rooftops together. Redd said he knew [Malcolm] had his back, and trusted him. If Redd was in a f*ght, he could turn his back and could know that Malcolm was gonna be on the other side, f*ghting with him.” When they couldn’t afford a place to stay for the night, Jon (Redd Foxx) would invite Malcolm up to his “humble abode” on the rooftop of 707 St. Nicholas Avenue.
Read more:
