Frankie Beverly Dies at 77
Frankie Beverly, the legendary singer and frontman of Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, has died at age 77.
On Wednesday (Sept. 11) morning, the Beverly family shared a statement on his Instagram page announcing that he died on Tuesday (Sept. 10).
“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 Beverly family said.
“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. 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.”
A cause of death has not been revealed.
Beverly embarked on his I Wanna Thank You Farewell Tour earlier this year ahead of his retirement. The tour, which marked the end of Beverly’s five-decade run with his band Maze, wrapped up in May.
Beverly closed out his farewell tour in July in his hometown, Philadelphia, with support from The Whispers.
During the first of two shows, The Black Promoters Collective surprised Beverly by donating $25,000 to his Frankie Beverly Scholarship Fund. According to press materials, “This organization aims to encourage minority students, particularly those aspiring to careers in the music industry, by providing essential financial support.”
“It’s an honor to tell you face to face, I love you. On behalf of my partners, The Black Promoters Collective, we had the opportunity to tour this man around the world, a Black producing promotion company. As we end this tour in our home city, we want to say thank you to a living legend,” said Walt Reeder Jr., BPC’s senior talent buyer and partner.
Reeder continued, “This highlight of the night furthered the magic that this partnership has created with Frankie‘s retirement after more than 50 years in the music industry, marking a monumental end to a notable career.”
In January, Beverly was honored with the Living Legend Award at the 2024 Urban One Honors, which was filmed in Atlanta. The ceremony aired in late February on TV One.
In March, Beverly was celebrated with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the NAACP Image Awards Dinner. The honors “individuals who have made significant contributions to civil and human rights in addition to their contributions in the entertainment industry.”
Born Howard Beverly, the R&B/soul singer embarked on his musical journey in the early ’70s with his band Raw Soul, which ultimately became Maze.
Frankie Beverly and Maze’s iconic catalog includes timeless hits such as “Happy Feelin’s,” “Can’t Get Over You,” “Joy and Pain,” “Golden Time of Day” and “Before I Let Go,” among many others.
The latter song, which appeared on 1981’s Live in New Orleans, was reimagined by Beyoncé at her iconic Coachella set in 2018. Beyoncé’s rendition later appeared on Homecoming: The Live Album, released in April 2019.
In a 2019 interview with Billboard, Beverly shared his reaction to Beyoncé’s lively cover of “Before I Let Go.”
“When they played it, that’s when I heard the first draft of it, and I was blown away. It’s a blessing. It’s amazing how she works, she’s very smart. I’m caught off guard, but in a beautiful way,” he said. “She’s such a sweet person too. She’s a very sweet, religious kind of person. Then the way she just released it, it’s off the chain. She’s done so much, this is one of the high points of my life.”
In the same interview with Billboard, Beverly shared what inspired the original song. “It was about a relationship I was in. It was just up and down, and by the end of it I wrote a song because I was feeling I needed to get out of it. I was so into the girl, but it just wasn’t working out,” he explained.
R&B Stars React to News of Frankie Beverly’s Death
Following the news of Frankie Beverly’s death, members of the R&B music community shared their condolences on social media.
John Legend wrote, “Let’s celebrate the life and work of the great Frankie Beverly. What I love about being an artist is that our work leaves a legacy that outlives our time on this Earth. Frankie has given the world such joy. His music will live on. It will always be part of our culture, an essential part of the soundtrack of our celebrations, cookouts, and family reunions. May he rest well.”
New Orleans native PJ Morton shared, “Frankie the blueprint! You will be missed. Live in New Orleans came out the year I was born.. So it’s just always been there. I didn’t realize until later that he wasn’t from New Orleans. We’ve always held him as our own. But I realized he made everyone feel that way with his shows. He would play Essence fest every single year when I was growing up. I never got a chance to meet Frankie but I studied and it’s the reason I wanted to build community through touring the same way. Consistently with or without a new album. It was the family reunion we needed every year.”
Renowned songwriter Johntá Austin posted on X (formerly Twitter): “All white linen at Essence Fest is a thing. And it’s a thing because of the great Howard “Frankie” Beverly! The epitome of black joy through song! The height of feel good music. Made the greatest black cookout record of all time “Before I Let Go” Rest easy Frankie! THANK YOU!”
Kelly Rowland also shared her condolences on X. “Thank you for your voice! Your spirit of bringing us all together! FAMILY, LOVE, and the always celebrating black culture! And that VOICE!! Man! Thank you for it all! Ascend! Sending my Love out to Frankie Beverly’s family MAZE family and all his LOVED ones!!” she wrote.
Revisit Frankie Beverly’s music below.