Maurice Hines, tap dance pioneer, Broadway star, and brother to the late Gregory Hines, has died. He was 80.
Maurice died of natural causes on Friday (Dec. 29) at the Actors Fund Home, an assisted living facility where he lived in recent years in Englewood, NJ. The news was confirmed by the home’s executive director, Jordan Strohl.
He first gained notoriety while touring with his father, Maurice Hines Sr., and younger brother, Gregory, in a dance show called Hines, Hines & Dad. Maurice later made his Broadway debut in The Girl In The Pink Tights (1954). In 1963, the three performed together on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963. Maurice continued his theatrical run in productions such as Bring Back Birdie (1981) and Hot Feet (2006), which he choreographed.
The New York native became a Tony nominee in 1986 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his role in Uptown…It’s Hot!
The Hines brothers also performed as feuding siblings Clay and Sandman Williams in The Cotton Club (1984), but also had real-life tension in their relationship. In Maurice’s 2019 documentary, Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, he revealed that he and Gregory had a disagreement that caused such a strain that they didn’t speak to each other for a decade. However, they reconciled in the late ’90s to be with their mother during her final days and they remained close until Gregory’s death.
Gregory Hines died at age 57 in August 2003 after battling liver cancer. In 2013, Maurice toured select U.S. cities in a tribute show dedicated to his late brother titled Tappin’ Thru Life.
Both brothers were praised as tap dancing icons, despite their varying styles. “My brother and I tap completely differently although we were both taught by Henry LeTang,” Maurice told The Times in 1994. “We have very different stances. My style tries to be exactly like Fayard Nicholas, a full body style. [Gregory] dances from the waist down.”
Maurice is survived by his adopted daughter, Cheryl Davis, whom he raised with former longtime companion Silas Davis.
Debbie Allen, friends of the Hines, shared a tribute to him upon news of his death. “Maurice Hines, I was your first leading lady in a show, ‘Guys and Dolls,’ and I will always treasure our journey together. My tears are for my inability to speak with you or to hold you. I will ALWAYS SPEAK YOUR NAME. See you on the other side,” she wrote.
VIBE sends our condolences to those affected by this loss.
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