'HennaMan' poet Derrick Gilbert dies at 45

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The poet and spoken-word performer Derrick Gilbert has died. He was 45.

A spokeswoman for Gilbert, who was also known as D-Knowledge, says he died Nov. 1 of liver disease in Los Angeles.

Gilbert was the author of the books "HennaMan" and "Catch the Fire: A Cross-Generational Anthology of Contemporary African-American Poetry." His album, "All That and a Bag of Words," was released in 1995.

Gilbert performed his poetry in concert with such artists as Meshell Ndegeocello, Arrested Development, Midnight Oil and Bill Cosby. He appeared in the films "Higher Learning" and "Panther."

He performed the original poem, "The We of Ali," at the 2005 opening of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

Gilbert is survived by his father, mother and sister.