Gerald Levert Dead At The Age Of 40

Gerald Levert (July 13, 1966 - November 10, 2006) was an American R&B singer, one of several from the musical Levert family. His father, Eddie Levert, is the lead singer of the 1970s soul group The O’Jays. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B musical group comprised of Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert.

Born to The O’Jays frontman Eddie Levert and his wife Martha in Philadelphia, Levert was brought up in Cleveland. Due to his father’s career, Levert was exposed to music from a young age and would travel with the band regularly. While in high school, Levert’s inclination towards music became apparent when he formed the R&B trio LeVert with his younger brother Sean and friend Marc Gordon in 1984. The group proved to be very successful with four of its seven albums going platinum. These include I Get Hot in 1985, Bloodline in 1986, The Big Throwdown in 1987 and Just Coolin' in 1988. Among the group’s memorable hits were “Pop, Pop Goes My Mind”, “Casanova”, and “ABC-123" (not to be confused with the Jackson 5 hit of the same name).

In 1991, Levert went solo with Private Line, released in 1991 it went to number one on the R&B charts. In 1992, Gerald and his father, Eddie Levert, hit number one on the R&B charts with the single, “Baby Hold On to Me”. He wrote and produced songs for other artists, such as Stephanie Mills, Teddy Pendergrass, James Ingram, and The O’Jays. He earned a Grammy nomination for his work on Barry White’s 1994 hit “Practice What You Preach”, and also helped launch the careers of two Cleveland-area R&B ensembles who were popular in the early and mid 1990s: The Rude Boyz and Men at Large. Levert sang the chorus on the Chris Rock spoken-word comedy piece, No Sex (In the Champagne Room). Yet another of Levert’s collaborations was with the supergroup LSG, comprised of himself, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, with whom he produced the 1997 album Levert Sweat Gill and the 2003 album, LSG2. LSG recorded such hits as “My Body” and “Door #1". Levert recorded a string of albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, that spawned hits like “Thinkin’ About It”, “Funny”, “Mr. Too Damn Good to You”, “U Got That Love”, and a remake of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”, along with gospel singer Yolanda Adams.
In his final days, the singer was working on a reality TV show that put him on a weight loss program alongside 12 of his female fans. Though he was never married, Levert had four children, one of whom, Carlysia, appeared with him in an MTV show,My Super Sweet 16. The singer’s last album was Voices in 2005.

Levert died of an apparent heart attack in his sleep while at his Cleveland, Ohio, home. Sister 2 Sister magazine reported that Gerald and his father had just returned from a 10-day trip to South Africa where they had met with Nelson Mandela.
His label, Atlantic Records, confirmed that Levert died at his home on November 10, 2006 at the age of 40 and issued the following statement: “All of us at Atlantic are shocked and deeply saddened by his untimely death. He was one of the greatest voices of our time, who sang with unmatched soulfulness and power, as well as a tremendously gifted composer and an accomplished producer.”

Dan Bomeli, public relations manager at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center in suburban Cleveland, said Levert had been brought to the hospital. Bomeli said Levert had died but he had no further details.
Levert’s family released a statement asking for privacy: “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.
Patti LaBelle, who had worked and recorded with Levert, said he “was like a son” to her. “He was such a great entertainer. It’s not for real to me that he is gone ... Nobody was prepared for this.” LaBelle added that she hopes to sing at Levert’s
funeral.

“It’s very sad. He was an amazing talent, obviously”, friend and fellow R&B singer,Will Downing, said. “Gerald was a hard worker. He would go out there and do his thing, and be in places where the folks were. He would touch the people, and that’s really what it’s all about.”
“When we would do shows together, we would get on stage and battle for the hearts of women. Every night, that was our thing,” Downing said. Pictured Above: Gerald Levert (July 13, 1966 - November 10, 2006)