Acclaimed Harlem Pastor Dies

Photo courtesy of Fox 5 NY

The Reverend Calvin Butts III, the dynamic and politically savvy head of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem has died. Pancreatic cancer is said to have been the cause.

Over three decades as pastor of Abyssinian Baptist, Butts used his intellect and charisma to raise an estimated $1 Billion to give a complete makeover to one of the nation's more storied black neighborhoods.

Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts was 73.