| Show nvi4 I ' d vie's life took another Riding ' turn'7e back k fmm a concert in 1 North Carolina a Wonder was in-Ivolved i n an auto accident that left him in a coma As Stevie lay in the hospital Mil-l- ton recalled that his se brother had often said he would die young And he had rr7)4 ' t ra ' I rz i'' Ai 4 :r ' ils 70- - 't - 4 - - it '''"-- ) ' 4" - - (0000'''''''''''''''4 it k - of ''l ''' ' 'AN ' ' Itk ::f4i I' - 1 li rope 28 1992 0 PACES - 4)t e aaaka air' "lao-- r - ts- -r c i 0 - i- ''' e i A -- - ' ' ' 0 aadr I ' ' -- ' ? ' 4:1" - t' 44' Ilir o0-- - - a x t4 afe --- - ' :ei)a - 3 4 In a career 44 ' - It "-- aalt k spanning 30 years he has made 30 albums and won 17 ' t i'fair'4 '1 ' Nt ta f ' 1 Grammy& Inset at the Grammy awards ceremony 'are - ft In 1S110: Dionne Warwick Wonder i Jones Quincy ''''''''4 Michael Jackson and Lionel Frichle 1 ' - et said "I felt them being 4: g born The creation of is incredible" Ji In the last decade Stevie's success has continued with best- p 0Ai 4t'e -- J aa e - ' Q 4 Trat' 107 '4 C - ! - 1 i -- 1 "" 7' il ‘ - fit a—a - It a COMPOSC ' ' - iti 1 - I a‘ 0 - - -4-4-''' a fa : ' selling albums such as In Square Circle CharactersThe Woman in Red—which contained his Oscar- winning song "I Just Called To Say I Love You"—and Jungle Fever featuring the songs he wrote for the Spike Lee film 7 He typically rises at 4 pm works on pmjWith Coretta lang in Washington DC 1983 Wonder helped ects at his office then make Dr Martin Luther Eng tr's birthday a dional holiday travels to his studio the night He often works and McWith their mother with through Melody sey stays up for 24 or 48 hours at a time Culley a former vocalist he has a son To relax he enjoys a reading machine Mumtaz 8 They live in California which scans printed material and trans"The mothers of my children and myself have remained friends as well as lates it into spoken words By this process he devours novels autobiographies worked at being parents" Stevie said "And that's important" He spoke with commentaries He also likes to roller-ska- te swim and wrestle with Mumtaz pride of being present when Aisha and He worries about the racial divisive was exciting" he Mumtaz were born ''''i 4- eaoa a rwl - 444 A"'"aa -a 0- 1 - - all'a34r ' 4 research and he continues to make hit records and - (I-- r) I 4 A 1 - a- - ' Wit 00 NII? '::: ta 4a-- ' ' - It jet 1" !: - t i anemia 01 el aa''''- e - vOt il - i t aa av I ? te4444-4- 4 benefits for causes such as AIDS research and sickle cell ' oak a- - oa i a t et 00004 00 Nt t 4411 i av his coma Although several months would pass before he was fully recovered a kind of rebirth had occurred He reaffirmed his commitment to aiding his fellow man "I will not be operating so much on time as in time" Stevie said By that he meant that he would strive to help others before it was too late He has been true to his word Across the years he has lent his name talent and money to countless causes—nuclear disarmament world hunger farmworkers AIDS research and sickle cell anemia research In a campaign against drunk driving he posed for a poster that went to 16000 high schools It said: "Before I ride with a drunk I'll drive myself" He often acts on impulse helping someone he has learned about from a newspaper or TV story After a lawyer was crippled by a vicious attack in his Detroit office Stevie arrived unannounced at his hospital room and sang to him When three children were orphaned when their mother was killed by the police in Los Angeles Stevie staged a benefit show for them "I can't work too hard I can't work too late" he says to family and friends who try to get him to slow down In 1988 Stevie was honored by the UN's Special Committee Against Apartheid for his commitment to "the upliftment of the oppressed and downtrodden of the world' But when I asked him what he would like to be remembered for he answered unhesitatingly: as one of those who made the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr a national holiday "Every time I hear recordings of Dr King speaking I cry because I think about him" he said "His soul his spirit his inner vision America has it all wrong thinking it's a black holiday It's not a black thing It's an American thing What he did he did for all of us black and white But there is nothing wrong with it being a black day in the sense that we celebrate a black man" Stevie's marriage to Syreeta ended amicably after a year With Yolanda Simmons a writer he has a daughter Aisha now 17 and son Keita 15 who live in New Jer 4 - -- - ak4'"'"4 ttr°' fil 4a i ' 4 P'' Today Stevie Wonder frenueritly performs at - JUNE S''tt4''044'44 1 Just released the song "Higher Ground" in which he sang of God showing him the way to a better place Some wondered now if he'd had a premonition of his death Or was it a rebirth? After four days Stevie came out of PARADE MAGAZINE g S 714 't- ir- -- ' V '74 lo: et: tf '''''''''4- ''' a 014444444 ''411 I ness crime violence and drug abuse plaguing the big cities like his hometown Detroit—and about illiteracy and joblessness which he believes are pmblcms everywhere "But I'm very optimistic about the world" he said "I believe this is God's island and ultimately He will make it right Despite the damage that we have done to it I feel the beauty of the earth I feel the beauty of God" Does he pray for a miracle enabling him to see that beauty? "No" he replied "I sometimes talk to God about my sight and I say 'I'd like to see but it's up to You—what You feel is best for me' I'm not a fool Sight would make me more independent I would be able to see my children the mothers of my children My brothers and sister But I'm not going to stop enjoying what I have to wait for it to happen" Stevie paused "When I pray I thank God for protecting me consoling me and leading me on the path that I follow God has blessed me with the ability to write about the love I feel Sing what I feel And share it with people" "And more than anything" he added "God has blessed me with the ability to help people that I don't even know" 11 |
