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• Nathaniel Ayers is a violin prodigy who trained at the Julliard School of Music, but ended up homeless and playing on the streets of Los Angeles after suffering from schizophrenia.

  Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez chronicled his relationship with Ayers after meeting the musician in downtown L.A. in 2005. Lopez compiled the columns into a book, and the book was adapted into the 2009 film The Soloist, in which Jamie Foxx plays Ayers and Robert Downey Jr. portrays Lopez.Columbus Dispatch: OSU Professor Briefly Taught Nathaniel Ayers (April 24, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: January 22, 1951
  2. Sister: Jennifer Ayers-Moore, the Chairwoman and Founder of the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers FoundationNAAyers.org: The Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation (NAAF)
  3. Attended Julliard in New York CityColumbus Dispatch: OSU Professor Briefly Taught Nathaniel Ayers (April 24, 2009)
  4. 1908: Attended Ohio State University for one quarter before moving to CaliforniaColumbus Dispatch: OSU Professor Briefly Taught Nathaniel Ayers (April 24, 2009)
  5. 2005: LA Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote about his relationship in a series of columnsColumbus Dispatch: OSU Professor Briefly Taught Nathaniel Ayers (April 24, 2009)
  6. Lopez's columns were adapted into the bestselling book The Soloist: A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of MusicColumbus Dispatch: OSU Professor Briefly Taught Nathaniel Ayers (April 24, 2009)
  7. Lopez ran into Ayers near Pershing Square in Los Angeles and began trying to find him help
  8. Frequented Pershing Square because of the statue of Ludwig van Beethoven there
  9. Began playing the string bass in junior high playing the sting bass and then learned to play the cello
  10. Switched to the violin when he became homeless because it was easier to carry around
  11. His sister claimed the film A Beautiful Mind reminded her of her brother
  12. Lopez wrote that Ayers cared very little about the money passersby drop in his case
  13. Ayers refused money from Lopez
  14. LA Times readers donated instruments to Ayers instruments after reading Lopez's columns
  15. The Soloist was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  The Soloist | Ludwig van Beethoven | Jamie Foxx | Robert Downey Jr. | Los Angeles | Los Angeles Times | Schizophrenia

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