Bill Luckett | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Clarksdale | |
| In office 2013–2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Oliver Luckett Jr. March 17, 1948 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 28, 2021 (aged 73) Oxford, Mississippi, U.S. [1] |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Francine Luckett |
| Children | 4, including Oliver |
| Education | University of Virginia University of Mississippi |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Mississippi National Guard |
William Oliver Luckett Jr. [2] [3] (March 17, 1948 [4] - October 28, 2021) [5] was an American politician, attorney, actor and businessman. [6] [7] [8] [9] He unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Mississippi in 2011 and served as Mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi from 2013 to 2017. [10] [11] [12] [13] He was also a founder and board member of the Pinetop Perkins Foundation. [14] From May 2001 till his death, Luckett also co-owned with business partner Morgan Freeman the Ground Zero Blues Club. [5] [15] He also co-owned the Madidi Restaurant with Freeman from 2001 to 2012. [16] [17] He was also a member of the NAACP. [3]
Luckett was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi. [18] He had lived in Mississippi since he was six weeks old. [11] His father was a lawyer. [4] Luckett was also the great-nephew of Semmes Luckett, who in 1954 argued in favor of segregation against Thurgood Marshall in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case. [3]
Luckett graduated from Clarksdale High School in 1966. [18] Luckett also graduated from the University of Virginia and earned a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Mississippi. [19] He graduated from the latter university in 1973. [20] He also served in the Mississippi National Guard from 1971 to 1979. [4] [18] He received an honorary degree from Coahoma Community College in May 2002. [1] He was also inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2009. [1]
He has acted in the films Texas Heart (2016), Battlecreek (2017), The Poison Rose (2019), Vanquish (2021) and Paradise Highway (2022). [1] [21]
Luckett was married to Francine Luckett from 1984 until his death and was the father of four children. [11] [22] One of his sons is Oliver Luckett. [23] [24]
Luckett died on October 28, 2021 in Oxford, Mississippi, one year after being diagnosed with cancer. [1] [25]