Spike Lee remembers Ossie Davis

NEW YORK -- The late actor Ossie Davis was eulogized Monday as an inspiration for both the artistic and civil rights communities.

The remembrances came at an event to mark the release of a DVD version of the 1992 film "Malcolm X" -- and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the black Muslim leader's death.

For the 1992 film, director Spike Lee got Davis to recreate the eulogy he gave at Malcolm X's funeral in 1965.

On Monday, Lee showed a short film showing highlights of Davis' decades-long career, and said he was guided both creatively and politically by Davis and his wife, Ruby Dee, both of whom have appeared in his films.

"They gave me the courage to take stands that might be unpopular," Lee said.

Several hundred people attended the event at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, including Malcolm X's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, actors Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes, and the Rev. Al Sharpton.

The film's special edition DVD also features the new Lee documentary "By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Malcolm X" and director Arnold Perl's 1972 feature-length documentary "Malcolm X."

For Sharpton, Davis was a giant in the black community.

"There have been bigger box office attractions, but there never was a giant taller than him," Sharpton said.

Washington, who played the lead role in Lee's 1992 "Malcolm X," said Davis "is in good care and good company."

"My prayers go out to Ruby," he said.

The 87-year-old Davis was found dead Friday in his hotel room in Florida, where he was making a movie. His death appeared to be from natural causes, police said.

Dee was in New Zealand making a movie when her husband died. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998.