John Forté, the musician known for his work with Fugees and Wyclef Jean, has died. He was 50.
Massachusetts’ Chilmark Police confirmed to Variety that Forté died yesterday at approximately 2:25 p.m., when officers were dispatched to see to an unresponsive male. Forté was identified as the man who lived at the address and was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation was referred to the Massachusetts State Police-Cape and Islands Detective Unit, and authorities claim that there were no signs of foul play or an immediately apparent cause of death.
Forté was best known for his contributions to the Fugees’ breakthrough album “The Score,” appearing on several tracks including “Family Business” and “Cowboys,” as well as songs on Wyclef Jean’s “The Carnival.” In addition to his standout guest appearances, he released several solo albums that featured duets with DMX and Carly Simon and most recently dropped his 2021 record “Vessels, Angels & Ancestors.”
Born in Brooklyn, Forté grew up playing violin in a youth orchestra before cultivating a love of hip-hop. After a stint as an A&R for Rawkus Records, he developed a relationship with Fugees and appeared on “The Score,” a critically heralded record that went on to win best rap album at the 1997 Grammy Awards.
After releasing his Jean-produced debut “Polyl Sci” in 1998, Forté was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 for accepting a briefcase of liquid cocaine and sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 14 years in prison. In 2002, he released his sophomore album “I, John,” featuring guest appearances from Dinah Washington and Simon, which he recorded while awaiting trial.
Forté was released in December 2008 after serving seven years, when President George W. Bush commuted his sentence. He went back to New York City and picked up his music career, dropping his “Stylefree the EP” in 2009 and “Water Light Sound” in 2011. In 2012, he wrote “Something to Lean On,” the inaugural theme song for the Brooklyn Nets.
At the time of his death, Forté had been living in Martha’s Vineyard for about a decade after Ben Taylor introduced him to it in the late ’90s, and planned to tour with Fugees in late 2024. In an interview with Martha’s Vineyard Arts & Ideas in July 2024, he said he was working on music for HBO’s “Eyes on the Prize” series and shared that he was putting together a film about his own life.
