Frankie Beverly has died at age 77
Frankie Beverly has died at age 77.
The legendary R&B hitmaker passed away on Tuesday, according to his family’s announcement on the official Instagram account of Frankie Beverly and Maze.
“Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience. During this time, as we are navigating feelings of sorrow, reflection, and remembrance we kindly ask for privacy and understanding, allowing us the space to grieve in our own way,” the statement began on Wednesday.
The family added, “This period for is one of healing, and your respect for our need for solitude is appreciated as we honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly.”
The statement continued, “He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends. Love one another as he would want that for us all.”
The family did not specify a cause of death. The Post reached out for comment.
Born in December of 1946 in Philadelphia, Pa., Beverly was a songwriter, singer and producer, best known for his soul and funk band Maze, which he formed in 1970.
The band was originally called Raw Soul but changed its name reportedly at the suggestion of Marvin Gaye, who they opened for.
Between the ‘70s and ‘90s, Maze release nine gold albums, including hits like “Joy and Pain,” “We Are One,” “Can’t Get Over You” and “Golden Time of Day.”
“‘Before I Let Go’ really did turn out to be something more than I even imagined,” Beverly told Essence in 2020, referring to his most famous song. “I got blessed with that.”
In 2019, he told Billboard about the song, “I just thought it was a great little song, but I never thought it’d be all this. It really changed everything for me. It was a huge song at the time, and it’s one of those things this band will be able to carry on forever.”
About the song’s meaning, he continued, “I was seeing some lady but I was just with someone (else) and we broke up. And it got kind of hard because I wasn’t with the woman I wanted to be with and I couldn’t stay with the one I was with.”
Beyoncé released a cover for the song in 2019 for her “Homecoming” film and live album after her Coachella performance.
Regarding Beyoncé’s platinum-selling cover of his song, Beverly told Billboard, “She’s a great friend of mine, but I didn’t know she was going to do this. I was hearing stuff, but I didn’t even want to approach her about it. She kept it quiet, until her people called me one day maybe a week or two ago. When they played it, that’s when I heard the first draft of it, and I was blown away. It’s a blessing.”
He added, “This is one of the high points of my life.”
Beverly was given the lifetime achievement award from the NAACP Image Awards in March.
He retired in July with a concert in his hometown of Philadelphia, after 50 years of performing.
Susan Slawson, who oversees the Dell Music Center, the concert venue where Beverly performed his farewell concert, told Whyy.org, “We sold 5,200 tickets, and we have a lawn area that holds about 500. There wasn’t a ticket to be found.”
She added that people in his hometown “said he’s our hero. We’re here to pay homage to him. We’re here to celebrate him.”
In May, the 6000 block of Norwood Street in Philadelphia, where he grew up, was renamed Frankie Beverly Way.
