Robbie Pardlo, the former lead singer of Grammy-nominated R&B trio City High, has died at age 46.
The New Jersey native died surrounded by loved ones in Willingboro on Thursday, a representative for Pardlo confirmed to TMZ. His cause of death was not immediately made clear.
Pardlo’s accomplishments included the 2001 City High hit “What Would You Do?,” which peaked in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and earned them a Grammy nod for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.
They followed that up with the Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 single “Caramel,” featuring Eve.
Despite the critical praise and relative success received by City High’s first and only album, the trio — including Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz — ultimately broke up in 2003 after just four years of working together.
In a 2020 interview, Toby said the group had begun working on a second studio album, but that the “rushed” project wasn’t as good as their first.
“There was some turmoil in the group, the vibe and chemistry was off. We decided to walk away,” he told YouKnowIGotSoul.com.
Some of the issues allegedly stemmed from Toby’s relationship with Ortiz, who had previously dated Pardlo leading up to the making their first album. Ortiz said she broke up with Pardlo “before the album was finished,” and that she started dating Toby roughly a year later. They eventually married in 2004.
The emotional toll of the situation sent Pardlo into an downward spiral of alcoholism, a battle he discussed on a 2010 episode of A&E’s “Intervention.” He said he had been struggling with addiction every since his days with City High.
Pardlo is survived by his wife, Anika Pardlo, their two children, Lyric and Chord-Andrew, according to TMZ.
