John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars among others, has died at age 50.
He was found dead Monday afternoon in his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts, according to police.
The Chilmark police chief, Sean Slavin, said in a statement that there were no signs of foul play or “readily apparent cause of death”. The case is being investigated by the state medical examiner’s office, according to Slavin.
A native of New York City, Forté was a musical prodigy who broke through in his early 20s as a contributor to the Fugees’ Grammy-winning The Score and to Wyclef Jean’s Grammy-nominated The Carnival. A multi-instrumentalist and rapper, he also released such solo albums as Poly Sci and I John, with contributors including Carly Simon, whose son, Ben Taylor, was a close friend of Forté’s.
His final album Vessels, Angels & Ancestors was released in 2021.
In 2000, he was arrested at Newark international airport and charged with possession of liquid cocaine and drug trafficking. Forté was sentenced to 14 years in prison, but the sentence was commuted after seven years by president George W Bush. Simon was among many public figures who advocated for his release.
“She’s my champion, my crusader, my mentor, my friend, my spiritual guru,” Forté once said of Simon. “She’s an awesome human being.”
Writing for Vanity Fair in 2013, Simon referred to him as her godson and called his punishment “hugely unfair”.
Survivors include his wife, the photographer Lara Fuller, and two children.
On Instagram, Jean shared a video of them together and wrote: “This one hurts my brother @john_forte has joined the Angels legends never Die look at the smile R I P my Refugee brother.”
Comedian and actor Amy Schumer also paid tribute, calling him “prolific and beautiful” and sharing a link to a fundraiser helping his family.
Fundraiser organizer Amber Knowles wrote that his death has left “a profound void in our community and in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved him”.