Grammy-nominated Brooklyn native John Forté has died at age 50.
The recording artist and producer, best known for his work with the Fugees and as a member of the collective Refugee Camp All-Stars, was found dead Monday afternoon at his home in Chilmark, Mass., police confirmed on Tuesday.
Law enforcement didn’t provide a cause of death, but said there were no signs of foul play. The case is being investigated by the state’s medical examiner.
Forté contributed to the production of the Fugees’ 1996 album “The Score,” for which he earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The rapper and multi-instrumentalist also worked on Wyclef Jean’s “The Carnival” before later releasing a handful of his own solo albums, including “Poly Sci” in 1998, “I, John” in 2002 and 2021’s “Vessels, Angels and Ancestors.”
Jean honored his former collaborator on Instagram Tuesday.
“This one hurts,” he captioned a video clip of the pair performing together. “My brother @john_forte has joined the Angels. Legends never die … RIP my Refugee brother.”
In 2000, Forté was arrested at Newark International Airport after being caught carrying suitcases containing $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on possession and drug trafficking charges, but had that term cut in half by a 2008 commutation granted by President George W. Bush.
Forté explained in a 2020 UPROXX interview that disappointing sales numbers for “Poly Sci” led to a falling out with his record label and ultimately to him getting involved with the wrong people.
“Time stood still that day,” he recalled of his arrest.
Singer Carly Simon, who performed a duet with Forté on “I, John,” became a close ally, advocated on his behalf during his legal defense and lobbied for his release from incarceration.
Forté is survived by his photographer wife, Lara Fuller, and their two children, identified by the Martha’s Vineyard Times as Wren, 10, and Hale, 7.
According to the local paper, Forté first visited Martha’s Vineyard in 1998 and fell in love with the community. He moved there a decade ago and met Fuller, whom he later married in 2017.
With News Wire Services
