John Forté. —Lara Fuller
John Forté, a Grammy-nominated recording artist and loving father of two young children, died suddenly in his home in Chilmark on Monday. He was 50 years old.
His death was confirmed by Chilmark Police, and a precise cause of death has not yet been officially determined. Forté was beloved among the community of musicians on the Island, and anyone who came across his path remembers him as generous, empathetic, and brilliant.
On an Island already grieving the tragic deaths of four legends over the last few weeks, Forté’s death has compounded a collective wave of grief and shock particularly over the loss of such a talented, nationally recognized artist while he was in such a creative and productive period in his life. The loss is made even harder as he was a father who was always bursting with both pride and love for his children.
Forté, who first visited Martha’s Vineyard in 1998 at the invitation of fellow musician Ben Taylor, fell in love with the Island and its sense of community. He moved here approximately 10 years ago and met Lara Fuller, a freelance photographer who would become his wife and the mother of their children, Wren, 10, and Hale, 7.
He built an elaborate recording studio in the basement of the Hewing Field home of his next-door neighbors and dear friends in Chilmark, Gogo Ferguson and her husband David Sayre. Their home, with its welcoming outdoor deck and a stone fireplace, became a kind of hometown stage for Forté over the last decade where he often participated in memorable jam sessions with musicians from across the Island and from all over the world. On that porch, he unfailingly brought not only original music but his uniquely generous spirit, his deep love for life — especially anything that he was doing with his two children — and his passion for thoughtful conversations with a close-knit circle of friends. In those conversations, Forté was a consummate listener.
Forté was known and loved on the Island by many through performances at Island venues with the legendary recording artist Carly Simon and her son, Ben Taylor, as well as many other musicians well known to the Vineyard, including the Austin-based songwriter Peter More. Forté and More recently collaborated to write the score for a documentary film about the beat writer Jack Kerouac titled “Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation.” In 2024, Forté completed work on the score for a six-part HBO series, which revitalized “Eyes On the Prize,” the award-winning documentary series that began on PBS in the 80s. The series chronicles the Black experience in America in the wake of the Civil Rights era.
Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin said a neighbor discovered Forté alone on the kitchen floor Monday and called 911 at 2:25 pm. Slavin said his officers Liz Rogers and Bret Stearns were the first to arrive at Forté’s home on Hewing Field in Chilmark at 2:32 pm and reported him not responsive and not breathing. Slavin said he arrived at 2:38 pm.
Slavin said that Forté was pronounced dead at the scene, adding, “There is no foul play suspected.” Chapman’s Funeral Home retrieved the body at approximately 4 pm.
Pending a report by the medical examiner’s office, the case is expected to fall to the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit attached to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, as is standard operating procedure in what are known in police jargon as “unintended deaths.” Slavin, who knew Forté socially for many years and is a longtime friend with the Fuller family, said, “It is such a small community, this death hits close to home. It’s the upside and the downside to living on such a small Island.”
The news of his untimely death has devastated those who knew him on the Island.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, Slavin said, but family friends confirm that Forté suffered a serious health setback one year ago when he was hospitalized after a seizure. Since then, Forte, who would have been 51 on Jan. 30, had been taking medication to control the threat of a grand mal seizure.
On Monday night, there was one interior light still on inside Forté’s home, and his car was parked out front. The sudden death cut short a life that began in Brooklyn.
After coming of age in Brownsville, Brooklyn where he chose to learn the violin, Forté became a gifted student who was invited to attend Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire on the suggestion of a junior high guidance counselor. He entered New York University as a music business major, and his roommate was the rapper Talib Kweli. Forté dropped out of NYU to work at Rawkus Records.
From there, he set out on a celebrated career, which began on a professional level when he was introduced to The Fugees by Lauryn Hill in the early 1990s. He co-wrote and produced several songs on The Fugees’ multi-platinum and Grammy-winning 1996 album “The Score.” At 21 years of age, Forté was nominated for a Grammy for his work on the album.
Forté went on to tour all over the world with The Fugees and lent both production and vocal performances to 1997’s “Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars.” Forté also partnered with former Fugee member Pras for the hit single “Avenues” from the “Money Talks” soundtrack. Forté released his debut solo album, “Poly Sci” in 1998, which was produced by Wyclef Jean.
In 2000, Forté’s life took a dramatic turn when he was arrested at Newark International Airport with liquid cocaine. He was charged with possession and intent to distribute. While awaiting trial in 2001, Forté recorded the well-received “I John” album. The album featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock and included a duet with Carly Simon. Forté was convicted and sentenced to 14 years under the controversial mandatory minimum guidelines. He was incarcerated at a low-security federal prison in central Pennsylvania.
Simon and her son Ben Taylor championed Forté in prison and became fierce advocates on his behalf, believing he did not receive a fair trial. They joined his fight for an appeal of the punitive mandatory minimum drug laws, which advocates for prison reform have long criticized for perpetuating mass incarceration.
In a 2009 profile in New York Magazine, Forté shared, “Carly is a mentor to me, a guide, absolutely my spiritual godmother.”
Forté’s prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush on Nov. 24, 2008, and he was released from prison four weeks later, just before Christmas.
In a 2024 interview with Arts & Ideas, a magazine published by The Martha’s Vineyard Times, Forté was asked about the long journey of his music and all of the talented musicians he has had a chance to perform with and how all of that shaped what he was currently working on. In his response, Forté’s love for his children shaped his answer.
“It’s mind blowing. It really is. But the music that I think of most recently, its purpose — it feels like a time capsule for my children. I make music now that I really want my kids to like, when they’re able to receive it,” he said.
This is “Ready on the One” by John Forté and was filmed at his home in Chilmark.
