JUDD JONES

JONES--Judd. Actor, singer, dancer died peacefully at home March 9. He was 79. Born and raised in Alabama, Judd arrived in New York in 1954 with stars in his eyes. His booming bass baritone voice had been nurtured in the U.S. Army. He was assigned to a USO and fell in love with performing. "But if you want to make it on Broadway, you can't just sing," Chita Rivera told him. "You have to learn to act and dance." Judd toured for five years as Chino in West Side Story. He performed on Broadway, Off Broadway, in regional theater and with the Lincoln Center Repertory Co. His one-man shows celebrated Paul Robeson and Bert Williams. Judd adored his showbiz friends: Stokes, Keith, Martin, Tommy, Jeremy, Whoopi, Ron, Mike, Georgia, Julie, Jack, Brenda, Mary Louise, Christopher, Emily. He worshipped his divas: Leontyne, Renee, Bernadette, Patti, Audra, Betty, Barbra. He taught and mentored Ta'u, Patricia, Morgan, Chico, Christopher. After a moving Black History Month reading from Martin Duberman's slave chronicle "In White America," a sobbing girl apologized to the white-haired Judd for his suffering. "Oh, my dear, I'm not that old," he said. "I am an actor and I have lived a wonderful life in New York City." Judd is survived by his brother Edward. He is mourned by friends, neighbors and the Jones family. A memorial service will be held April 10, 7 pm, Good Shepherd Faith Church, 152 W. 66. Contributions may be made to Actors Fund, NYPL's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Assn of Tenants of Lincoln Towers.