Thursday, October 13, 2011

REMEMBERING KENNY GREENE OF "INTRO" (WHO DIED OF AIDS)


Kenny Greene, center, (January 17, 1969 - October 1, 2001) was the lead singer of the R&B group "Intro." Greene helped form the group and he wrote and produced most, if not all, of the group's tracks.

Kenny Greene also wrote many of the songs on Mary J. Blige's "What's The 411?," including: "My Love," "Reminisce," "You Remind Me," and "Love No Limit."

The last time he recorded was early in 2001 singing background vocals for Tyrese on the song "For Always" on the "2000 Watts," album.

Sadly, his life was cut short by AIDS.

Here are a few excerpts from an interview (with Sister 2 Sister magazine) conducted in 2001 shortly before his death.

Jamie: Hi Kenny. You sound good.
Kenny: Yeah, You know I have AIDS?
Jamie: I know. How long have you been in the hospital?
Kenny: It's been a long time.
Jamie: What? A month?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: How long have you known you had AIDS?
Kenny: I've known for a long time, but it's just....I sprained my ankle and this ball came under my foot like a bruise and it just swelled up to the size of a tennis ball. It's called Kaposi's sarcoma. It's an AIDS related disease.
Jamie: How long ago did you sprain your ankle?
Kenny: Like October.
Jamie: So after the ball came up under your foot, what happened?
Kenny: I was walking around on it and I should've got help from the VA Hospital.
Jamie: From the Veterans hospital? Why? Are you an ex-soldier?
Kenny: Yeah. I'm not active now but I was in for three years. I was in the Army.
Jamie: You're kidding?! Well, how old were you when you just kept walking around on it?
Kenny: Yeah, I should've went to the VA Hospital and got it taken care of, but I didn't know what it was.
Jamie: Well, didn't it scare you?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: It did, huh? Well how did you get the AIDS? Was it intravenously or are you homosexual?
Kenny: Yeah, I'm homosexual...Well, I'm bisexual. I had two girlfriends.
Jamie Do you still like girls?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: Do they come to see you?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: Do you think you can come out of the hospital eventually?
Kenny: I transfer somewhere else when I come out of here, but they said it's going to take me six to nine months to recover. So I'll be in a wheelchair.
Jamie: What part of your body is affected now?
Kenny: My legs.
Jamie: Do you have sores on them?
Kenny: No.
Jamie: Well what's wrong with them?
Kenny: There's no strength in my legs 'cause I've laid in this bed so long.
Jamie: How did you get AIDS? Do you know the guy who gave it to you?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: Is he still alive?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: What do you want to tell people out there about the condition that you're in now?
Kenny: Keep protecting yourself with condoms and don't have unprotected sex.
Jamie: Was this guy that you were with a constant partner?
Kenny: Yeah.
Jamie: Is he in the hospital?
Kenny: No.
Jamie: He's okay?
Kenny: Yeah. He's a carrier.

Source: Sister 2 Sister Magazine (2001)

No comments:

Post a Comment