Nipsey Russell: Poet Laureate of Television Dies at 87

Nipsey Russell was an American comedian and game show panelist known as the poet laureate of television. Born on September 15, 1918, in Atlanta, his exact birth year was often disputed.

Russell became a familiar face on Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares and To Tell the Truth, and in 1964 he was the first Black regular panelist on a daily network game show. He played the Tin Man in The Wiz (1978), and in the 1990s he appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

He delivered short rhyming poems on every show. Russell died of cancer at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City on October 2, 2005, at age 87.

Achievements: First Black regular panelist on a network daytime game show, role of the Tin Man in The Wiz.

Birth: September 15, 1918 - Atlanta, Georgia.

Profession: Comedian.

Interesting Facts: His nickname came from his mother, who liked the sound of it.