Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quiñones, the actor-dancer who achieved fame starring in “Breakin ‘” and his sequel “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo”, died Wednesday, his longtime collaborator announced. He was 65 years old.
No cause of death has been announced. The day before he was found unconscious, Quiñones posted a photo of him smiling and making the peace sign in bed, writing: “Good news for everyone! I’m feeling good, just a little bit slow with my cold, but the good news is that I’m negative for Covid 19! Woo hoo! “
In addition to appearing in the “Breakin ‘” films, both in 1984, he had a prominent role in cinema in “Lambada” in 1990. Before going to the cinema, Quiñones was already part of the history of pop culture by choreographing and performing in the video “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie.
Quiñones was a member of the Lockers’ team that helped popularize the style of street dance locking. Co-founder Toni Basil posted: “It is with extreme sadness that the Lockers family announces the unexpected death of our beloved Adolfo Shabba-doo Quinones. In this difficult time, we are asking for privacy.”
Sheila E. recalled a tour with Richie in her tweet calling Shabba Doo “my brother”.
A message previously posted on its website said that Quiñones was developing “a film based on his memories, ‘The Godfather of Street Dance: The Ancestor of Hip Hop’, which will detail his life and reveal the true origin of the street-dance.”
Born in Chicago, the son of a black father and Puerto Rican mother, who raised him alone since he was 3 years old, Quiñones entered show business as a member of the TV “Soul Train” gang.
In a 1984 interview with the Sarasota Sun-Herald, he remembered moving to California with his mother when he was 16, and how he hitchhiked from his home in Anaheim to Hollywood for 14-hour ” Soul Train “. “They were unable to stop me from entering,” he said. “I arrived at 7 am and didn’t leave until almost 10 pm.”
In addition to working for Richie, his choreographic credits included “Who’s That Girl?” From Madonna, 1987? tour and TV work on MTV’s “Blowin ‘Up” He made television appearances as a dancer as early as 1976 in “What’s Happening !!”