Mitchell: Son of famous percussionist gunned down over weekend

Follow @MaryMitchellCSTThe name Adama Moye meant nothing to most of the people who ran across it in the roundup of those murdered over the weekend.

But Moye’s death at age 22 was a shocker to those who know his father.

Famoudou Don Moye is known as one of the world’s greatest living percussionists and was a leading performer with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, an avant-garde quintet founded in the ’60s that was inspired by African and Caribbean music.

He called his son “Bongo.”

On the website “Drummerworld,” there’s a photograph of the smiling father playing African drums as the young son dances in a romper.

“I was devastated to hear the news,” said Bennie Currie, an associate with Intrepid Wealth Partners LLC, who was among dozens of people who tweeted condolences.

Follow @MaryMitchellCSTCurrie, who was a soccer coach for AYSO, coached the 8-year-old Adama Moye alongside his own son. At that time, Don Moye and his wife, Gloria, lived down the street from the Curries in Hyde Park.

Although Currie’s son and Adama were the same age, they weren’t particularly close and Currie lost touch with the family over the years.

He stumbled across news of Adama’s death on a Facebook Page for people who attended the University of Chicago Lab School.

“It hit me like a ton of bricks. Adama was one of my soccer kids. I have probably coached well over 100 kids over the years, and Adama was someone I used to take to games. I took personal pride in being able to connect with these kids. This has been on my mind all day. I am upset and angry about it,” Currie said.

Adama Moye was one of nine people killed across Chicago over the unseasonably mild weekend.

The 22-year-old was sitting in a car parked in the Longwood Manor neighborhood on the South Side on Saturday night, when a dark vehicle pulled up and someone inside fired shots, according to police.

Moye, whose address is listed as the 4900 block of South Dorchester, was taken to the Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

Most of us still think this is something that won’t happen to anyone we know.

“Frankly, it is troubling how his death was lumped in with all the other shootings,” Currie told me.

Dozens of people posted comments on Adama Moye’s twitter account:

“Just found out that another former student was shot and killed in Chicago. Please say a prayer for all the friends and family of Adama Moye,” wrote Sister Julia Walsh @juliafspa.

“RIP Adama Moye…One of the most kind hearted, non judgmental people I ever met. My best friend at Hales Franciscan,” wrote @Kembe_X.

In recent years, Famoudou Don Moye, who was born in Rochester, New York, has lived in Marseille, France.

“I am just bummed out by this and I can’t believe it has happened. There is no hope when you don’t even see it coming, and you aren’t doing anything but driving or sitting in a parked car,” Currie said.

“This is the first person that I’ve known who went out somewhere and didn’t come back,” he said.

Moye’s body was taken to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office. Final arrangements are pending.

Tweets by @MaryMitchellCST