John Forté, Fugees Collaborator, Found Dead at 50 in Martha’s Vineyard

People reports John Forté, a recording artist who worked closely with the Fugees, died at age 50 on Monday, Jan. 12 in his home in Chilmark on Martha's Vineyard. MV Times reported that a neighbor found Forté alone on his kitchen floor and called police at 2:25 p.m.; by the time officers arrived he was unresponsive and not breathing and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A cause of death has not been determined, and no foul play was suspected. Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin told the outlet, "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 outlet also said Forté suffered a serious health setback one year ago when he was hospitalized after a seizure.

Forté grew up in Brooklyn, studied violin and attended Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at New York University, where he roomed with rapper Talib Kewli, and later worked for the underground hip-hop label Rawkus Records. Introduced to the Fugees by Lauryn Hill, he co-wrote and produced several songs on their Grammy-winning 1996 album The Score, earning his first Grammy nomination at 21, and later toured with the group and contributed to Wyclef Jean's 1997 album The Carnival.

Key Topics

Culture, John Forté, Fugees, Martha's Vineyard, Chilmark, Wyclef Jean