Don Cornelius, who with the creation of "Soul Train" helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, groovy dance steps and cutting edge style, died early Wednesday of an apparent suicide. He was 75.  Los Angeles Police Department officers responding to a report of a shooting found Cornelius at his Mulholland Drive home at around 4 a.m. He was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound about an hour later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter.

A police cruiser sat parked in the entryway of Cornelius' home on a two-lane stretch of Mulholland Drive in the hills above Los Angeles. News cameras camped outside as drivers on their morning commute drove by.

"He was a transformer," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told KNX-Los Angeles. "'Soul Train' became the outlet for African-Americans."

Jackson said he talked to Cornelius a few days ago and there were no signs Cornelius was upset.

Cornelius, who was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame in 1995 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in 2006 he remained grateful to the musicians who made "Soul Train" the destination for the best and latest in black music.

"I figured as long as the music stayed hot and important and good, that there would always be a reason for 'Soul Train,"' Cornelius said.

Cornelius stepped down as "Soul Train" host in 1993.  The awards returned to the air in 2009 after two-year hiatus.  Last year's awards were held on November 27 in Atlanta, with Earth Wind & Fire receiving the "Legend Award."

In his later years, Cornelius had a troubled marriage.  In 2009, he was sentenced to three years' probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery.  In his divorce case that year, he also mentioned having significant health issues.

Shocking new information about last week's murder of a Jonesboro woman leads police to theorize that Rochelle Thomas' death may have been a thrill killing.  28-year-old Nehemiah Johnson, Jr. reportedly believed he was going to prison for decades for holding his ex-girlfriend at knifepoint days before...and so he told his sister that since he was going away, he wanted to see what it felt like to kill someone.  Jonesboro Police say he talked to Thomas, a paid escort who advertised herself as a massage therapist, eight times on the phone before the killing--and that when she agreed to meet Johnson for an encounter, he strangled her to death with a phone cord and dumped her body.

Less than an hour before he was set to die, a Georgia judge halted the execution of death row inmate Nicholas Cody Tate.  Tate pleaded guilty in 2005 to the 2001 murders of a woman and her three-year-old daughter--who was also molested before she was killed.  In 2009, he waived all his appeals and said, "You caught me red-handed."  But with execution staring him in the face, Tate decided he wanted to appeal after all.  His two younger brothers also pleaded guilty to the crimes and are serving life in prison.

The IRS is cracking down on those who take other people's names and Social Security numbers to file tax returns in their names. A sweep last week netted 105 alleged ID and tax thieves from metro Atlanta to 22 more states.  The IRS is installing new filters on its computer system to sniff out identity theft.

Facebook could file papers today for what is expected to be a blockbuster IPO.  When stocks go on sale, it could raise $80-100 bilion.  Facebook has some 1,000 employees who could become millionaires with the offering.

President Barack Obama wants more homeowners to be eligible to refinance their homes at lower interest rates. He's proposing a plan today to allow homeowners with privately held mortgages to do so, even if they owe more than their houses are worth.  Some 1 million borrowers with loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already refinanced, and that's less than a quarter of the Obama administration's goal.

Someone has finally gotten Jay Leno to eat his fruits and vegetables.  Leno nibbled on apples, sweet potato fries and pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini when first lady Michelle Obama visited the "Tonight Show" Tuesday night.  She's on a two-day swing through California, promoting her "Let's Move" healthy living campaign.  Leno once told a magazine he hadn't eaten a vegetable since 1969, and said he tasted his last apple in 1984.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he's "ready to lead." Romney won yesterday's Florida GOP primary, taking 46 percent of the vote. But rival Newt Gingrich is vowing to stay the course.

The KISS 104 weather forecast:  partly to mostly cloudy; a 70% chance of late-day showers, high of 64.