Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ Screenwriter, Dies

Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ Screenwriter, Dies at 66
After chronicling the crack boom of the 1980s as an investigative reporter, he had a high-profile but brief second career in Hollywood.
Barry Michael Cooper, writer of Harlem-trilogy ‘New Jack City,’ ‘Sugar Hill,’ and ‘Above The Rim’ passes away at 66
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.
Remembering Barry Michael Cooper, a writer who always had Harlem on the mind
Barry Michael Cooper, a pioneering journalist and screenwriter, died on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Baltimore, Md., at 66.
Barry Michael Cooper Captured the Zeitgeist – the Best and the Worst
The Village Voice obituary of writer Barry Michael Cooper, dead at age 66, notes the powerful stories he wrote for the paper in the 1980s.
Barry Michael Cooper, writer-producer known for 'New Jack City' and 'Above the Rim,' dies at 66
Barry Michael Cooper, an investigative reporter-turned-screenwriter known for the films "New Jack City," "Above the Rim" and "Sugar Hill," has died. Cooper died Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to The Times.
Barry Michael Cooper, Famed Screenwriter & “New Jack Swing” Phrase Inventor, Dies At 66
Barry Michael Cooper, a screenwriter who penned screenplays for New Jack City and other notable Black films, has died.
“New Jack City” Writer Barry Michael Cooper Dies at 66: He 'Helped Define Pop Culture in the ‘80s and ‘90s'
Cooper wrote for newspapers like 'The Village Voice' before transitioning to screenwriting and filmmaking with 1991's 'New Jack City'
‘New Jack City’ And ‘Above The Rim’ Writer Barry Michael Cooper Dies In Baltimore At 66
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, ‘New Jack City' Writer, Dies at 66
Barry Michael Cooper, a writer and producer who co-wrote the blaxploitation ’90s classic “New Jack City” and finished his “Harlem trilogy” writing “Sugar Hill” and “Above the Rim,” died in Baltimore,
Barry Michael Cooper, ‘New Jack City’ and ‘Above the Rim’ Screenwriter, Dies at 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.
Hip-Hop Community Mourns Death of Influential Journalist & Screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper
Barry Michael Cooper, who invented the term 'New Jack Swing' and wrote the scripts for 'New Jack City', 'Above the Rim', and ...
‘Never Get Busted’ Tells Wild Tale Of Ex-Cop Turned “Expert At Hiding Drugs, Evading Police, And Raising Hell!” – Sundance
Cop turned renegade Barry Cooper's story is told in 'Never Get Busted,' a documentary film premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.