Tap dancing TV and Broadway star Maurice Hines dies at age 80

Tony-nominated tap dancer Maurice Hines died Friday at the age 80, according to reports from friends and family. 

He died of natural causes at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, New Jersey, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1986, Hines received a Tony Award nomination for "Best Actor" in a musical for "Uptown." 

Hines staged the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 1990, making him the first African American to direct at the venue.

He has done collaborations with several well known artists, including Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, Deadline reports.

He first appeared on Broadway in The Girl in the Pink Tights in 1954, and later in Eubie!, Sophisticated Ladies and more. 

He and his younger brother Gregory, who passed away in 2003, performed alongside each other in many shows. 

Hines is also the main subject of a documentary titled "Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back," which refers to him as the greatest tap dancer of his generation.