Don Lemon remembers three Atlanta gay men killed in car crash

Openly gay CNN anchor Don Lemon took the final moments of his Jan. 11 show to remember the lives of three Atlanta gay men who lost their lives in a single-vehicle crash Jan.9 on Interstate 75 in Midtown.

According to police, Adam Bailey, 33; Cordel Fowler, 24; and Esu Manzano, 36, were headed south on Interstate 75 around 3 a.m. when the driver lost control. Police say the car veered off the ramp into a barrier and traveled along the wall for some distance before flipping over the wall and landing on its roof on the interstate. The car was crushed and the three men were killed on impact.

Close friends and strangers from across the country have expressed their grief at the sudden loss of the three men on Facebook. Andre Hilton, a friend of the three men and the last person to see them alive, shared his memories with WSB-TV.

“I didn’t really have an idea of how many people they touched until this happened,” Hilton said.

Hilton said friends called Fowler “Corky” during his days as a student at Morehouse College.

“Corky would keep you laughing. He would bring life to all the parties,” Hilton said. “Life without them will definitely be different. We will always remember them.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been established In Memory of Cordel “Corkey” Fowler to assist his family with funeral expenses.

At press time, the GoFundMe established for the Adam Bailey Memorial Fund had exceeded its original goal of $4,000 with over 77 people donating in 16 hours.

Lemon notes that Manzano also leaves behind a partner and two children.