LYNCHBURG, Va. – On Monday, around 5:35 p.m., Lynchburg police were called to the 2800 block of Campbell Avenue where they found 42-year-old Cedric Lamont Mays dead after a single-vehicle moped crash .
Family and friends of Mays were at the scene crying in disbelief about who was lying on the ground covered with a white sheet.
Mays was a well-known barber in Lynchburg and worked at the Upper Cutz Barber Shop on Fort Avenue. He was working Monday night before his death.
“He was very popular. He was good with the kids. Kids loved him. Customers loved him. He was like the Kevin Hart of the shop,” said Joe Early, owner of Upper Cutz Barber Shop, said.
Early said Mays’ chair was never empty and he had a way of working with children even those who were challenging.
"I always said, ‘Ced, you better than me with those kids.’ He said, ‘One thing. Joe, I know I'll be cutting their hair for another 18 more years. So I'm good.’ That's the way he looked at it. No matter how they were. Some kids have issues. Ced could make funny faces with them, joke with them. He could calm them down."
One of Mays’ clients who sat in his chair for a haircut onMonday, Nov. 20, say he was a great barber and friend.
“Ced was definitely one of the best barbers I've had. I'm not just saying that due to his passing. There's a reason I kept coming back to him. So my loyalty remained here at the barbershop,” Quentin Shaw said.
Mays’ just turned 42 on Sunday, and though his room will be empty for now, his friend of 20 years says his memory will always be here.
“I just want to give condolences to his family (and) friends. He will always be here. This is his second home, home away from home. I'll never forget him,” Early said.