Angie Stone, the Grammy-nominated R&B and neo-soul singer-songwriter, passed away on March 1, 2025, at the age of 63. She was involved in a fatal car accident near Montgomery, Alabama, while traveling from a performance in Mobile to Atlanta.
Born in 1961 in Columbia, South Carolina, Stone began her musical journey with the gospel quartet at her church. She gained prominence as a member of The Sequence, the first all-female hip-hop group to chart with their 1979 single “Funk You Up.” After the group’s disbandment in 1984, she contributed as a backup performer and later formed the R&B trio Vertical Hold. In 1999, Stone launched her solo career with the gold-certified album “Black Diamond,” solidifying her place in the neo-soul genre. Throughout her career, she released ten studio albums, with her final album, “Love Language,” released in 2023.
Stone’s contributions to music and her pioneering role in hip-hop and R&B continue to be celebrated. She is survived by her daughter, Diamond, her son, Michael, and two grandchildren.