Sacha Jenkins

Sacha Jenkins, a documentary filmmaker who turned his journalistic eye towards Black art and music, died May 23, 2025, of multiple system atrophy in New York City at the age of 53.

Jenkins was best known as a documentary filmmaker, but in truth he was a journalist who chronicled art and the counterculture in a wide array of mediums, from independent 'zines spotlighting graffiti art ("Graphic Scenes & X-Plicit Language") to acclaimed work for PBS, CBS, and more. He co-created the "Ego Trip" brand, which included a magazine, a series of books ("ego trip's Big Book of Racism," among others), television productions ("ego trip's The White Rapper Show" and "Race-O-Rama," both for VH1), and more. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his miniseries "Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men" and was honored with the Jury Award at the 2018 Oxford Film Festival for "Word Is Bond." More recently, he produced a series of documentaries focused on music and entertainment. These include "Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues," "Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos," "Generation Dead: The Walking Dead Fan Documentary," and others. His work included museum exhibits, serving as coauthor of at least ten books (including the Eminem memoir "The Way I Am"), and a strong focus on spotlighting Black art.

Artist and essayist David F. Walker, who was interviewed by Jenkins for a VH1 production, mourned his loss on Facebook. "Every time I saw his name associated with a project, I beamed with a sense of pride. I love it when people follow their creative paths, and Sacha blazed a trail through many creative realms. To me he was a kindred spirit. And I am profoundly saddened by his death. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and colleagues. R.I.P. Sacha Jenkins. Thank you for the creative light that illuminated the path for so many of us."

Written by Eric San Juan

(Image: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)