Kevin Evans—a longtime Chicagoan and well-known poet, musician and artist—died Jan. 13 after a battle with non-alcohol related liver disease. He was 47.
Evans, a native of Louisiana, graduated Oak Grove High School in 1983. He went on to attend Northeast Louisiana University and then got his masters degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
He spent much of his life in Chicago before returning to Louisiana last year due to health problems.
Evans was a scriptwriter, guitar player, poet, editor, graphic artist and video producer.
"He was so super-talented that he did everything," said John Kamys, a close friend of Evans.
Evans was a well-known participant in Chicago's LGBT music scene. According to friends, he advocated for up-an-coming artists and regularly donated his time and talent to artists he believed in.
"He was a really generous, kind person," said Scott Free, a longtime friend.
Evans performed at Homolatte, Free's biweekly queer music show. He also directed and produced music videos for Free.
He was also a strong supporter of entrepreneurs abroad, and participated in online microcredit programs, lending money through kiva.org so that others could start businesses.
Evans is survived by his sisters, Tammy Brasher Terri McGovern and JaNeal Jones.
