{"type":"link","asset_type":"article","version":"1.0","cache_age":3600,"provider_name":"CANVAS Arts","provider_url":"https:\/\/artscanvas.org","title":"Melvin Van Peebles, godfather of Black cinema, dies at 89","publication_date":"September 22, 2021","summary":"Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking playwright, musician and movie director whose work ushered in the \"Blaxploitation\" wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, has died. He was 89.","author_name":"By Jake Coyle, Associated Press","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn.artscanvas.org\/static\/2021\/09\/27290836a92bacdc467c9a42107ed2aa-GettyImages-1253342654-1024x688.jpg","thumbnail_height":688,"thumbnail_width":1024}