Ephraim Lewis

On 18 March 1994, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to reports of a "naked black man acting crazy" at 1710 Fuller Avenue, the apartment where Lewis was living. They reported that Lewis had tried to escape the officers, and began climbing the outside balconies. When he reached the top floor there was an altercation. While on the top balcony, the police had used a taser on Lewis three times.[1] Police claimed this had "no apparent effect", although according to reports it was applied directly to Lewis's skin. Lewis fell from the balcony and landed on the courtyard below, suffering extensive head injuries.

After being kept alive on a ventilator for several hours, the decision was made to end life-sustaining measures, acting on the advice of the hospital. Lewis died at the hospital that night. The coroner assigned by the LAPD ruled the death as a suicide. It took a month for his body to be returned to the UK. The following month, hundreds of people gathered at the Darlington Street Methodist Church in Wolverhampton for his funeral. His manager, David Harper, covered most of the funeral expenses and the cost of returning Lewis's body to England, but did not attend the service. Lewis was laid to rest on 21 April 1994.

Naomi Hobbs, Lewis's cousin, who is a barrister, said:[1]

Ephraim was murdered by the police. Words fail me as to why they used a stun gun on someone standing on a balcony. They didn't just use it once but three times and as soon as they used that gun Ephraim was bound to fall and bound to die. It was so reckless

Kevin Bacon, whose Axis Studio discovered Lewis, said:

Ephraim had the qualities to be a massive star... This was somebody so brilliant at what he did he never thought about it. Most singers have tremendous egos based around their insecurity about their own singing. Ephraim didn't have that kind of ego because it never occurred to him there was anything he couldn't do.

Naomi Hobbs challenged the Police department's account of events. An investigation was not carried out.

• Ephraim Lewis discography at Discogs