Frankie Beverly the legendary singer known for his and the Maze’s hit song “Before I Let Go,” passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 10. He was 77 years old.
In a statement on Facebook, the Beverly Family revealed the devastating news. “Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience. 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.”
Frankie Beverly’s family continued by stating, “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.”
The family further shared that Beverly lived his life with “pure soul” and for them, no one did it better. “He lived for his music, family, and friends,” they added. “Love one another as he would want that for us all.”
Beverly founded Maze, under the original name Raw Soul, in 1970. The band would open for fellow music legend Marvin Gaye, who allegedly suggested the name change. The group, eventually known as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, would release nine gold albums between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Along with “Before I Let Go,” the group’s other hit tracks were “Joy and Pain,” “We are One,” and “Golden Time of Day.”
The cause of death has not been released.
‘Before I Let Go’ Turned Out to Be ‘Something More’ Than Frankie Beverly Ever Imagined
During a 2020 interview with Essence, Frankie Beverly reflected on the success of “Before I Let Go”
“‘Before I Let Go’ really did turn out to be something more than I even imagined,” he said. “I got blessed with that.”
Although it’s an upbeat song, Beverly said it is about a breakup. “I was seeing some lady but I was just with someone (else) and we broke up, he explained. “And it got kind of hard because I wasn’t with the woman I wanted to be with and I couldn’t stay with the one I was with.”
He further revealed who the breakup was with. “It was one of the girls [from] Alton McClain and Destiny, she passed away. She died in a car accident. Her name was Dee (n.e. Delores Marie “D’Marie” Warren). I had to kind let her go because I was already with some other girl and it was very, very, very, very unique [situation] that you have to leave somebody, and you feel so different.”
Beverly then added, “It was [about] somebody who was really having trouble letting go of something. That inspired that song.”