Charles "Tone" Reid

Charles "Tone" Reid - October 21, 1952 - August 24, 2020 Charles "Tone" Reid, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on Monday, August 24th. Tone was a charming man with a big heart, a megawatt smile, and the ability to instantly create a loving community of "best friends" wherever he went. Tone's beautiful spirit and unrelenting positive outlook enriched and delighted all whom he encountered. He enjoyed an interesting, unique, adventurous and very fun life which began with his upbringing in the Bronx, New York as the eldest of eight sons and the second sibling in a line of ten children. Creative, athletic and fearless, Tone attended Hight School of Art & Design in Manhattan and then performed in the Center Ring of the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1970 with the King Charles Troupe. The King Charles Unicycle Troupe was, and continues to be, a group of Black performers who play basketball on their unicycles. They were recruited by the Ringling Brothers Circus and became the first Black performers who gained instant popularity as a Center Ring act. For 12 years, Tone travelled to every state in the US and around the world with Ringling Brothers, appeared on national television programs, such as Ed Sullivan and Merv Griffin; and socialized with such luminaries such as Muhammad Ali and Paul Schaeffer - who became a life-long friend. In January 2020, The King Charles Troupe was inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota, Florida, the home of the Ringling Museum and Ringling College of Art & Design. In 1981, Tone and the Troupe settled in Las Vegas where they joined the world-renowned illusionists Siegfried and Roy on stage at the Frontier Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. This is also where he met his devoted wife, Julieta Elliott, who was an ensemble dancer in the production show. Tone and the Troupe continued with Siegfried and Roy and performed with them in Japan and Radio City Hall. After many national and international performances, Tone put aside his unicycle, except for recreational purposes, and held positions as a personal trainer and as a Back Stability Specialist at Keith Kleven's physical therapy clinic. In 1998 he also joined the production crew at The Golden Nugget. To his family's delight, he shared stories about his work and the celebrities who invited him to join them after their shows. His meeting Prince was among the most exciting! During his seven year residence at Silver Ridge Long-term Disability Center in Las Vegas, his grace and bright-light led many to refer to him as the "mayor." In typical fashion, Tone made friends, delighted the staff, uplifted other residents, even though he usually beat them at Bingo; and made the best possible life for himself in this new environment. The family is appreciative of the care and support that he received from the staff. In addition to his wife, Julieta, Tone is survived by his large and adoring family: Audrey Dolginoff, his niece who lived with him and Julieta during many years as a teenager and young adult; his two sisters, Celeste and Jacqueline; his brothers Gerald, Howard, Christopher, David, Keith and Guy; his aunts Anne and Chickie; his uncle Charlie; nephews Damon, Brandon, Jonathan, Aaron, Gregory, Keith, Jr., and Javis; nieces Zoe, Mayrose, Elizabeth, Sara, Brenda, and Jennifer; brothers-in-law David Lee, Carl Beatty, Mark Dolginoff DVM, and Mark Dobeck, sister-in-law Estella Dobeck, and numerous cousins and other family members. Tone was preceded in death by his brother, Jay. Because of the tragedy of this pandemic, most of these loved ones cannot give him the proper farewell that such an extraordinary man deserves. However, there will be a memorial service at a later date to enable the many people whose lives he touched in such a meaningful way to pay tribute to this beautiful spirit!