Algernon (A.J.) Cooper, a former BET host and aspiring politician, died suddenly on Wednesday, Dec. 3 after collapsing at his mother's house. According to the Washington Post, the 34-year-old had been feeling ill the days leading up to his death and complained of dizziness and chest pains.
His mother said he died shortly before 9a.m. According to his aunt Peggy Cooper Cafritz and Cooper's Facebook page, he had proposed to his girlfriend Ryan Palmer less than a week ago. He had also recently announced that he was running for the Council seat after Mayor-Elect Muriel Bowser left.
While in college, Cooper hosted BET's "Teen Summit," a show focusing on every day issues affecting African American teens. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009 and went on to serve in the Marine Corps. He also held a job as a policy director for the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
On Dec. 1, two days before he died, Cooper was seen at a Ferguson protest outside the U.S. Department of Justice. He spoke to the crowd about trying to make a "real change" and "improve the outcomes of people's lives."
"We need to turn all of this energy, all of this passion, all of this pain, into power, into something positive, into real change that will improve outcomes in people's lives," A.J. said.
BET has yet to comment on Cooper's death.
