*Grammy-nominated musician John Forté, known for his work with the Fugees, has died at age 50 in Martha’s Vineyard, PEOPLE reports.
Forté was found deceased Monday at his Chilmark home on Martha’s Vineyard at age 50. Emergency responders were summoned to the property after a neighbor discovered Forté unresponsive on his kitchen floor around 2:25 p.m. Authorities arrived to find him alone and declared him dead at the location. Investigators found no evidence suggesting foul play, though the official cause of death remains undetermined.
Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin reflected on the impact within the tight-knit island community. “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,” Slavin said.
Forté’s musical journey began in Brooklyn, where he studied violin before attending Phillips Exeter Academy and later enrolling at New York University. While there, he lived with Talib Kweli and left school to work with hip-hop record label Rawkus Records.
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Lauryn Hill facilitated Forté’s introduction to the Fugees during the early 1990s, launching a collaboration that would define his career. He earned production and co-writing credits on the group’s 1996 release “The Score,” receiving a Grammy nomination at 21, and subsequently contributed to Wyclef Jean’s 1997 album “The Carnival.”
His career experienced a dramatic interruption in 2000 when authorities arrested him at Newark International Airport on drug charges, leading to a 14-year prison sentence. He maintained his creative output behind bars, writing songs and ultimately recording “I, John,” an album featuring collaborations with notable musicians, including Carly Simon and Herbie Hancock.
Simon emerged as one of his most vocal supporters, publicly advocating for his freedom and characterizing his punishment as excessive. President George W. Bush commuted Forté’s sentence in 2008, granting him early release.
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