R.I.P. Gerald Levert

[Lady Di]

40 years young died at home. :(


And another R.I.P. NBC's Ed Bradley :(

[Ro$$hi]

Whos Gerald Levert???? ...wat was he off?

[Lady Di]

Do you know who the VERY Legendary O'Jay's are Roshan?? Their careers are older than me... seriously. Eddie Levert (lead of the O'Jays), his Dad, has been ill for some time now. Gerald is/was a very successful R&B singer leaving us at a very young 40 yrs of age. Saddens me b/c that's around my age. :(

Here's his website (http://www.geraldlevert.com/) and the label site (http://flash.atlrec.com/gerald_levert/). They just have the basic death announcement page up now. The O'Jays concerts were WICKED and Gerald's too. Both of them once toured together on a Father/Son show. I have grand pixs from my Maryland O'Jays concert. I will post one of them next week.

[Lady Di]

Moving Tribute (http://www.legacy.com/Tribute/Tribute.asp?PersonId=19903185) and BAW's Tribute (http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/entertainment/index/geraldlevert)

[Lady Di]

R&B singer Gerald Levert's unexpected death last fall was an accident caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs, Geauga County Coroner Kevin Chartrand said. He found in Levert's body a cocktail of drugs, which included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines.

The R&B singer Gerald Levert, one of several from the musical Levert family, died unexpectedly Nov. 10 at his home in Newbury, Ohio, outside Cleveland, of a heart attack. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental.

Also, the autopsy revealed that Levert had pneumonia.

Levert was known for his sensual, romantic songs. Levert's music was explosive and raw — his 2002 album was titled "The G Spot."

"Nobody was prepared for this," said Patti LaBelle last November. "It's not for real to me that he is gone."

"He was one of the greatest voices of our time, who sang with unmatched soulfulness and power," said record company Atlantic in a press statement following his death.

"It's very sad," his friend and fellow R&B singer Will Downing told the Associated Press. "Gerald was a hard worker... He would touch the people, and that's really what it's all about."

One of his most ardent fans – the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin – explained why she adored him in Essence magazine in June 2005. "Gerald's got that stomp-down, hip-shaking earth soul. ... He pours his heart into it."

"We are devastated. Ours was more than a working relationship," Lisa Cohen, vice president of Associated Booking Corp. (whose founder, Oscar Cohen, has managed the R&B crooner and his father for 25 years), told PEOPLE. "The Leverts are family to us. We knew him when he was a kid."

And hip-hop star Chris "Ludacris" Bridges also mourned the loss of Levert. "I grew up with his music and his father's music," he told PEOPLE. "He gave so much to the industry. He'll live forever through his music."

Levert's family, including his four children, released a statement asking for privacy "at this very difficult time". He was never married. "As everybody knows, Gerald was a man who loved and breathed music. To his family and friends he was a man of strong character, who had an infectious personality and a zest for life. For his fans, his greatest love was touching the hearts and souls of all people through his music. At this very difficult time, we thank you for your prayers and hope you will understand our need for privacy," the statement read.

During his career as a solo artist and with the trio LeVert, he sold more than 10 million albums, five of which were certified platinum. Five of his songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts, and 11 made the Top 20.

[Justin]

****, thats pretty crazy.

[sexy_chick109]

That's sad how he just up and died. His daughter not too long before his death had her Sweet Sixteen and that was on TV, but I know he was a good person.He could sing like no one else.