Maze singer Frankie Beverly has died at the age of 77.
The legendary soul star, most known for hits Before I Let Go and Can’t Get Over You, died on Sunday evening, with his family confirming the sad news earlier today.
In a lengthy Facebook post on the official Frankie Beverly and Maze page, they paid tribute to the music icon.
‘Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience,’ the statement read.
‘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.
‘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.’
Beverly’s cause of death has not yet been shared.
Beneath the post, fans began sharing tributes to the late star, offering their support to his loved ones.
Sherrell Reed penned: ‘My condolences to the family, friends, and fans. Yha k you Mr. B for your dedication to providing us with joy through music over the course of your time in this plane.
‘Thank you for the dances at family reunions, Saturday morning cleanings, memories of family and other musical icons [sic].’
‘My favorite artist of of all time,’ Sonja Bell said. ‘We are ONE!! Fly High Mr. Frankie Beverly take your rest you gave us beautiful memories. To his family thank u for sharing a wonderful man with the world [sic].
‘I’m so fortunate to have witness such greatness. Rest in heavenly peace Mr. Beverly. My condolences to your family,’ Gabrielle Johnson-Barlow shared.
Ikeco Portee wrote: ‘My heart is heavy!!! I’ve been in love with Frankie and his music since I was in high school. May God take you in his beloved arms. Sending prayers of comfort and peace to the family/ friends and fans of Frankie Beverly!!!’
As Kimberly Newsom added: ‘Thank you for all of the beautiful ballads that will live in our hearts and minds forever!’
Beverly found his passion for music at a young age when he began singing in his church choir.
The Philadelphia-born musician later founded Raw Soul – which would go on to become Maze – in 1970, and the group went on to open for Marvin Gaye.
They landed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1976 and dropped their debut album the following year, titled Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
The following year, they followed this up with Golden Time of Day, before releasing Inspiration in 1979.
Beyonce famously covered their 1981 hit, Before I Let Go, for her Homecoming film in 2019 – a move that Beverly raved about in a candid chat with Billboard.
‘When they played it, that’s when I heard the first draft of it, and I was blown away,’ he said of her rendition in a chat with Billboard in 2019. ‘It’s a blessing. It’s amazing how she works, she’s very smart. I’m caught off guard, but in a beautiful way.
‘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.’
Unpacking the track, he continued: ‘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. I was thinking, “What am I going to do?” and that thought inspired the song.
‘I was going to try to do all of these things “before I let go.” It was a situation I had to get out of, but I was in love. It came out of me pretty good, too. Even the music, it was all a gift from God.’
‘Before I Let Go really did turn out to be something more than I even imagined,’ he added to Essence of the iconic track in 2020. ‘I got blessed with that.’
Earlier this year, Beverly embarked on a farewell tour across the US to mark his official retirement from performing after more than five decades.
He began the I Wanna Thank You Farewell Tour in Atlanta in March, before traveling to Houston, Chicago and LA, ending his run of dates in Philadelphia.
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