By Lee Eric Smith | New Tri-State Defender
Memphis leaders, community members and colleagues across Tennessee are reacting with shock and reflection following the death of state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, a longtime legislator and outspoken advocate whose presence in the community spanned nearly two decades.
Hardaway, 71, died at 5:22 a.m. Friday after a brief illness at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to a statement released by his family.
A Democrat, Hardaway represented District 93 in the Tennessee House of Representatives for 19 years. He also served as chair of the Shelby County Legislative Democratic Caucus and previously led the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators.
Even in recent months, Hardaway remained active on issues affecting Memphis. He was a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard in the city and continued to advocate for criminal justice reform, police accountability and expanded opportunity in the communities he represented.
A loss felt at every level
Paul Young, mayor of Memphis, was among the first to publicly reflect on Hardaway’s passing, describing him as both a personal friend and a defining civic figure.
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Representative G.A. Hardaway,” Young said in a statement. “He has been a friend to me and my family for many years. G.A. was a true Memphis leader.”
Meanwhile, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and Judge Tarik Sugarmon responded to the news during an appearance on WREG’s Live at 9, just hours after Hardaway’s death.
“I served with G.A. from 2014 to 2018 in the General Assembly, and he was a remarkable legislator—one of the most active,” Harris told WREG’s Kontji Anthony.
“He was also a charismatic gentleman—one of the ‘Billy Dee Williams’ of our state legislature—and he will be missed,” Harris continued. “He really poured into the community—from baby showers in Orange Mound to programs for fathers. He was always working to make a difference.”
For Sugarmon, the loss was deeply personal as well as civic. He and Hardaway grew up together in Orange Mound.
“Both of us lived on Worthington (Street),” Sugarmon said. “The Orange Mound community has lost a leader. District 93 has lost a representative who served that community for 19 years. He was one of our most effective representatives. As a friend and as a community member, we’re really going to miss him.”
Pearson: ‘I served better being near him’
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who served alongside Hardaway in the legislature, described him as a mentor, confidante and steady presence.
“G.A. Hardaway was my rock, my compass, my friend, my mentor and my seatmate in the Tennessee House of Representatives,” Pearson said in a statement. “I served better being near him.”
“He was one of the first elected officials to say, ‘I’m with you, Justin J.,’ when I announced my run for Congress,” Pearson added. “Nothing could happen anywhere near Orange Mound without him knowing about it, working on it and standing up to make it better.”
Pearson said Hardaway never avoided difficult conversations.
“He never chose the complicit comfort of silence over the tension that consciousness brings into the conversation,” he wrote.
Reflecting on his legacy, Pearson described Hardaway as both a source of wisdom and hope.
“There are people who are both mighty oaks of wisdom in our community and also bright lights of hope,” he wrote. “G.A. was both.”
Cohen: A strong voice for his constituents
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents Memphis, recalled Hardaway’s community activism. “In my time in the state Senate, G.A. lobbied me on the issue of fathers and child custody. His activism led to his election to the state House where he was a strong voice for his constituents,” Cohen said.
“I’ll always remember him for having the intersection of East Parkway and Union named in honor of Judge Russell Sugarmon, who was a mentor for each of us. I appreciate that legislative act which he said was intended to bring the city together and I think of my late friend every time I pass it.”
Lowery: ‘It was in the way he showed up’
For Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, Hardaway’s legacy was defined not by titles, but by action.
“Memphis lost a giant today,” Lowery wrote. “G.A. Hardaway spent nearly two decades fighting for the people of District 93, but the measure of the man was never in the titles he held. It was in the way he showed up.”
Lowery recalled a moment during the 2025 fire at Clayborn Temple that, for him, captured Hardaway’s character.
“The fire was still going when my phone rang. It was G.A.,” Lowery wrote. “He didn’t call to make a statement or send a press release. He called to ask if he could come help me feed the firefighters who were out there trying to save a piece of our history.”
“That was G.A. Hardaway,” he added. “Just a man who saw his neighbors working and wanted to stand with them.”
Fisher: ‘Rooted in people, not performance’
The Rev. Earle J. Fisher of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church framed Hardaway’s work in moral and movement terms.
“Rep. Hardaway was one of those rare public servants whose politics were rooted in people, not performance,” Fisher wrote. “Memphis and Black people across this state have lost a faithful fighter, a principled advocate, and a brother who never forgot who sent him or who he was sent to serve.”
Fisher also pointed to Hardaway’s role in pushing for accountability, including support for a federal “pattern and practice” investigation into the Memphis Police Department.
“We have lost a strong elder in the struggle,” Fisher wrote. “We will carry it forward.”
Sawyer: A personal loss felt widely
Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer reflected on the loss in simple, personal terms.
“I loved me some G.A. Hardaway Sr.,” Sawyer wrote. “I’ll miss hearing ‘Hardaway’ when he answered his phone. He always showed up for me. Always.”
“Rest well, servant leader,” she added. “You’ve earned it, and I will miss you.”
A legacy of service, a fighter for justice
The Shelby County Democratic Party described Hardaway as a “devoted public servant” whose work strengthened the community.
“Representative Hardaway dedicated decades to advocating for working families, expanding opportunity and giving voice to those too often unheard,” the party said in a statement.
Kermit Moore, president of the NAACP Memphis Branch, said in a statement Hardaway was one of the organization’s faithful members. “Rep. Hardaway was one of the fiercest fighters for justice and the residents of District 93 and the state of Tennessee, and he will be missed,” Moore said.
The family has asked for privacy. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Excerpt:
Photo Captions:
- A candid shot of State Representative G.A. Hardaway engaged in a community event.
- State Representative G.A. Hardaway addressing a crowd, advocating for his constituents.
- A portrait of State Representative G.A. Hardaway, reflecting his dedication to public service.
- State Representative G.A. Hardaway interacting with community members, exemplifying his grassroots involvement.
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