Frankie Beverly, best known as the frontman of the soul group Maze, died on Sept. 10 at age 77, his family announced on social media.
“This period for [sic] 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,” his family wrote.
Beverly, born Howard Stanley Beverly on Dec. 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began his musical career in the city’s East Germantown neighborhood. As a kid, he performed as a church soloist before forming doo-wop groups in his teens in the 1960s, according to the African American History website BlackPast.
In his family’s words, “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.”
In 1970, Beverly founded the group “Raw Soul” in Philadelphia, which later evolved into “Frankie Beverly and Maze.” The transition happened after Beverly moved to San Francisco and worked with Motown legend Marvin Gaye, who suggested the name change, according to the music group’s official website.
Beverly served as the lead singer, songwriter, and producer for the group throughout his career. His hits include Joy and Pain, Golden Time of Day, We Are One, Happy Feelin’s, Southern Girl, and the song Before I Let Go, which is “touted at the unofficial theme of summer”, according to his website.
The group’s music has been sampled hundreds of times, remixed by noted DJs, and re-recorded as covers dozens of times. In 2017, Beyonce recorded “Before I Let Go” for her multi-platinum-selling album “Homecoming,” which was also released as a Netflix documentary.
In early 2024, Beverly performed his last tour, which he called the “I Wanna Thank You Farewell Tour.” The tour began in Atlanta, Georgia, in March and finished in July in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with stops in Houston, Texas, Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California.
Beverly’s family didn’t disclose his cause of death.