Lloyd Marcus, Deltona entertainer and Trump supporter, dies at 71
Lloyd Marcus III, the Deltona entertainer and writer whose passion for conservative politics helped him gain a national audience, died of a pulmonary embolism on July 24. He was 71.
Calling himself “the Unhyphenated American,” Marcus — a Black man who as a young boy lived in a Baltimore housing project before moving to Anne Arundel County, Maryland — eschewed labels such as African-American as a hurdle to the nation becoming a colorblind society.
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As a 14-year-old boy, Marcus’ father, Lloyd Marcus Jr., took him to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to participate in a civil rights rally highlighted by the “I Have a Dream” speech given by Martin Luther King Jr.
The father and son had pins that said “Freedom Now.” Inspired, young Lloyd declared: “I’m not taking this button off until we are free.”
He met his wife of 43 years, Mary Parker Marcus, in Essex, Maryland. It was the second marriage for each of them, she wrote in an email to The News-Journal.
“We were wed after both of us were saved by Jesus Christ in 1977 at the Gunpowder State Park in Essex,” she said.
Marcus worked as a graphic designer at a Baltimore TV station and performed in Maryland — he called himself a “smooth tenor vocalist.” In 1985, he was asked to perform at an inaugural ball for President Ronald Reagan, whose words inspired Marcus.
He was a rare Black Republican, basing his political beliefs on the notion that less government was better for those minorities seeking to better themselves.
“I found it condescending that someone would think I needed help because of who I was,” Marcus told The News-Journal in 2004. “I felt the Republican Party was the party that made me feel I could go out and make it on my own. I could do anything.”
He moved to Deltona about 20 years ago, lured by an Orlando job that was had been promised to him but fizzled.
He leaned on his musical talent to forge a career in Florida performing and writing his own songs. He played at the grand opening of Deltona City Hall in 2001 and later became president of the Deltona Arts & Historical Center, working to provide other local musicians a venue to be heard until the center ran into financial difficulties.
In 2006, Marcus was involved in a constitutional dispute when Deltona City Hall first took down, then restored, three of his paintings depicting scenes involving Christmas trees, bibles and a person wearing an “I Love Jesus” hat. It was hailed by Mat Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, as “a victory for freedom of speech.”
After the election of the first Black president, Barack Obama, Marcus became a fixture at Tea Party rallies, traveling the country and performing songs including his original “American Tea Party Anthem.”
Ray Sanchez, president of the Volusia 912 Patriots, said he’s heard from a lot of people who were heartbroken over Marcus’ loss.
“He was a good Christian man with values. He was trying to warn America about the path we were taking. I wish more people would have listened back then, 10 years ago,” Sanchez said.
With the rise of Donald Trump in 2016, Marcus was along for the ride. That summer he released a variation on the O’Jays’ classic, “Love Train,” calling his version “Trump Train.” remained committed to supporting the president, writing, recording and releasing a single.
He released a new “Trump Train 2020” song for this year’s campaign. And he posted a YouTube video calling the Black Lives Matter movement and the George Floyd protests “total nonsense,” questioning the reason for outrage, considering Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer whose knee was placed upon Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes, had been charged with murder.
“Everything that the Democrats do and fake news media do is always, I repeat, always about stopping Donald Trump from being elected,” Marcus said.
Marcus wrote for his website and the American Thinker website and published books including “Confessions of a Black Conservative.”
“He was a happy warrior. He was a smiling, committed man of God and patriotism and America and everything that’s great about it,” said Vic Baker, Volusia County Republican Party state committeeman.
Baker, who hosts an Internet show called “Trump Talk Live,” said Marcus had been booked to be a guest on his show but did not make it. “I was heartbroken,” Baker said.
Marcus and his wife celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary on July 23. The next day he died.
“He was my best friend, my rock, the love of my life, as well as a solid friend to many others in America,” Mary Parker Marcus said. “He loved his country and he died trying to save it.”