Remember the Tin Man in '70s Film 'The Wiz'? He Lost His Battle with Cancer at the Age of 80

Nipsey Russell, best known for his role as the Tin Man in "The Wiz," passed away in 2005 at age 80 after a battle with cancer.

Nipsey Russell dedicated his entire life to entertainment, moving from performing on stage to television and film through the years.

However, in his last few years on earth, the actor suffered from cancer and succumbed to the illness when he was 80.

ABOUT NIPSEY RUSSELL

Russell was an actor who began his stage career when he was only three years old. He was part of a tap dance act called "The Ragamuffins of Rhythm."

In the 1950s, he was a nightclub performer at Harlem's Club Baby Grand, where he was eventually known as "Harlem's Son of Fun."

In fact, he was so famous that celebrities from all over would come to the club to see him perform.

A couple of years later, his big break came when he was cast as Officer Anderson in the 1961 television comedy series titled "Car 54, Where are You?"

He then went on to star in a couple of other big-screen movies such as "Fame" and the Tin Man in "The Wiz" in 1978, "Nemo" in 1984, "Wildcats" in 1986, "Posse" in 1993, and "Car 54" in 1994.

While he had a lot of movies, it was on television that he made his mark. In 1957, he starred in "The Ed Sullivan Show," which got him more gigs in "The Jackie Gleason Show," "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson," "The Dean Martin Show," and "Laugh-In."

This eventually led to even more shows, making his career even more remarkable, and he became the first black man to be featured on a game show.

Russell will always be remembered as the man who refused to use stereotypical dialects or play stereotypical roles in his acts, breaking barriers for rising comedians of all backgrounds.

Besides, he was also known for his poetic delivery, which earned him the "poet laureate of television" title as he regularly recited standard four-line topical poems as part of his routine.

He later became one of the first African-American game show hosts with NBC’s "Your Number’s Up" in 1985.

Aside from his career in the entertainment industry, he was also an Army captain in Europe during World War II.

His longtime manager Joseph Rapp said Russell has no immediate survivors as he was never married. He hoped to spare his future partner any trouble in being unmarried as he revealed he had trouble even with himself.

ABOUT "THE WIZ"

Before it became a movie, Berry Gordy and Motown Productions bought the rights to the musical, and then they lobbied Diana Ross to land the iconic role of Dorothy.

"

" also cast Michael Jackson, who was a second choice to play the scarecrow role as they had wanted a singer to take on that part.

Also, at the last minute, Nipsey Russell replaced Ben Vereen, who was supposed to play the Tin Man. The film went on to become the most expensive musical to be produced at the time, as $24 million was spent on it.

Even though the film brought in only $13 million, Michael Jackson went on to win an NAACP Image Award for best actor while the film won the award for best picture.