‘He loved people’; Close friends remember victim of deadly train collision

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - FOX10 News now knows the name of the man who died in a train collision last week.

Police identifying 29-year-old James Lett as the victim.

Lett’s friends say he was a well-known hip-hop artist in the Port City, performing all over Downtown Mobile. He’d been growing his career for a decade until it was cut short.

FOX10 spoke to Torion Harrison, one of Lett’s closest friends. Harrison was tearful throughout the interview.

“We were really there for each other,” said Harrison. “When one of us lacked, the other one picked him up. That was my brother. I don’t know, I’m really thrown off right now.”

Harrison says he first met Lett on the local music scene.

“He was the host of the art walk for art walk nights downtown and I finally took him up on that offer. From that moment, our energies just matched each other, and we clicked,” he said.

Harrison says Lett helped him build his own rap career.

“If it wasn’t for him introducing me to the people he did, I never would have learned the skills that I have today,” he added.

Harrison says Lett often swapped his microphone for an apron, launching Taco Tuesday at Studio House in Midtown. Lett would hone his other passion- cooking- and make delicious cuisine for guests as they bonded over music.

“It was a time to come in, sit down, have a drink, listen to some music, and become family,” said Harrison.

Word of Lett’s passing quickly spread in the local music community.

“We did one last Taco Tuesday and we all got in that studio house again probably one of our biggest turnouts,” stated Harrison. “The love was immense. I did the best that I could to not cry in front of people.”

John Rocker also shared the stage with Lett.

“He was a very humble guy, respectable, a true gentleman and just a generational talent,” he said. “That’s what it is because the one thing he did was make sure that all of us stick together, stay together and look out for one another.”

Both men say they’re committed to continuing his legacy.

“I’m hurting immensely, but I’m going to do my best to make him proud,” said Harrison.

Lett was supposed to open a concert on Friday night at 8 p.m. at Soul Kitchen- his friends are asking folks to come out and show their support.

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