Notable Residents
- Olympic track and field gold medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner (1959–1998) was raised in the Jordan Downs projects.
- Community organizer "Sweet Alice" Harris (born 1934) and her activist group Parents of Watts are based in Watts.
- R&B singer Tyrese Gibson (born 1978) was raised in Watts. In 2000, he chartered a foundation to build a community center in Watts.
- Singer Etta James lived in a Watts apartment.
- Darden Restaurants Chairman and CEO Clarence Otis, Jr. was raised in Watts
- Rapper Jay Rock was born and raised in Watts in the Nickerson Gardens Projects.
- American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist Charles Mingus was raised largely in the Watts area.
- Nobel laureate Glenn T. Seaborg.
Read more about this topic: Watts, Los Angeles
Famous quotes containing the words notable and/or residents:
“a notable prince that was called King John;
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“Most of the folktales dealing with the Indians are lurid and romantic. The story of the Indian lovers who were refused permission to wed and committed suicide is common to many places. Local residents point out cliffs where Indian maidens leaped to their death until it would seem that the first duty of all Indian girls was to jump off cliffs.”
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