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1 SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened
3 to learn of the death of Jerry "Iceman" Butler, who passed away
4 on February 20, 2025; and
5 WHEREAS, Jerry Butler's sharecropper parents moved his
6 family from Mississippi to Chicago in 1942 when he was three
7 years old; he grew up in what became the Cabrini-Green housing
8 development on Chicago's Near North Side; he attended James A.
9 Sexton School; he studied to be a chef at Washburne Trade
10 School before embarking on his career in music; he married
11 Annette Butler in 1959; and
12 WHEREAS, Jerry Butler achieved fame as a member of the
13 Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
14 Fame in 1991, and later as a solo soul artist; his songs have
15 been sampled by numerous other musicians, including Missy
16 Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, and The Game; he is a
17 three-time Grammy Award nominee; he chaired the Rhythm & Blues
18 Foundation, which provides a wide range of assistance to
19 musicians and pushed the industry to provide medical and
20 retirement benefits; and
21 WHEREAS, Jerry Butler had a 32-year political career as a
22 member of the Cook County Board and was the longtime chairman
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1 of the powerful Health and Hospitals Committee; while serving
2 on the county board in 1993, he earned a master's degree in
3 public administration from Governors State University; his
4 true passion as a county commissioner was ensuring health care
5 for all, and he was at the forefront in opening John H. Stroger
6 Jr. Hospital of Cook County, replacing the old Cook County
7 Hospital, in 2002; he retired from the county board in 2018;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, Jerry Butler was preceded in death by his wife,
10 Annette; and
11 WHEREAS, Jerry Butler is survived by his sons, Anthony and
12 Randy; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild; therefore,
13 be it
14 RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL
15 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare March 12,
16 2025 as "Jerry Butler Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it
17 further
18 RESOLVED, That we mourn the passing of Jerry "Iceman"
19 Butler and extend our sincere condolences to his family,
20 friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further
21 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
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1 presented to the family of Jerry Butler as an expression of our
2 deepest sympathy.
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