Photo: Getty Images
John Forté, a veteran producer known for his work with The Fugees, has passed away.
According to a report TMZ published on Tuesday, January 13, Forté died unexpectedly at his home in Chilmark, which is a town on Martha's Vineyard. His cause of death is unknown at the moment. However, the Chilmark Police Department doesn't believe foul play was involved. He was survived by his wife, Laura Fuller, whom he met on the Massachusetts island in 2015, and their two children, daughter Wren and son Haile. As of this report, Forté's family has not spoken about his death.
John Forté got his big break after Lauryn Hill introduced him to Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel in the 1990s. The trio recruited him to produce songs like "Cowboys" from their debut album, The Score. He's also featured on tracks like "Family Business" and the "Fu-Gee-La" (Remix).
Following the success of the Fugees' album, Wyclef tapped Forté to work on his 1997 LP, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival. He appeared on the hook for "We Trying To Stay Alive" with Pras and "Street Jeopardy." Wyclef returned the favor by producing a couple of songs for Forté's debut album Poly Sci in 1998. Wyclef spoke on his passing in a touching post on Instagram.
"This one hurts my brother @john_forte has joined the Angels legends never Die look at the smile R I P my Refugee brother," he wrote.
Forté's career was put on pause after he got into some legal trouble in the 2000s. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute liquid cocaine and conspiracy to distribute following his arrest at Newark International Airport. Forté was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison, and spent seven of those years at a facility in Pennsylvania. His sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush in 2008.
Rest in peace, John Forté.