After chronicling the crack boom of the 1980s as an investigative reporter, he had a high-profile but brief second career in Hollywood.

There is no discussion of 1990s-era Black movies without films written by Barry Michael Cooper, the Harlem, New York, born-and-raised journalist turned screenwriter who penned “New Jack City,” “Sugar Hill,” and “Above The Rim.” Cooper, who moved to Baltimore in the mid 1980s, passed away on January 21, 2025. He was 66.

Barry Michael Cooper, a writer and producer known for 'New Jack City,' 'Sugar Hill' and 'Above the Rim,' dies at age 66. 'Will never be another,' his son says.

Barry Michael Cooper, the writer and producer behind the classics New Jack City, Sugar Hill, and Above the Rim has died at age 66.

Barry Michael Cooper, the acclaimed screenwriter best known for his “Harlem trilogy” consisting of the films “New Jack City” (1991), “Sugar Hill” and “Above the Rim” (both 1994), died Wednesday of undisclosed causes. He was 66.