[2][3] Ballet choreographer Agnes de Mille referred to Tomlinson as "the most exciting black dancer in America.
In his later life, Tomlinson received a degree from Carolina University of Theology and was ordained as a Baptist minister.
He began dancing while a student at Fred J. Carnage Junior High School, taking lessons from Betty Kovach.
[2] He made his debut at New York City Ballet on November 27, 1981, in George Balanchine's Agon, dancing with Heather Watts.
[10] In 1983, Tomlinson received the first annual North Carolina Prize for outstanding work in the visual or performing arts.
Shirley Stowe, director of nursing at the House of Mercy, expected Tomlinson to die within six months after being admitted.