John Forté, the Grammy-nominated producer recognized for his work with the Fugees and Wyclef Jean, was found dead on Monday, Jan. 12, at the age of 50, at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts, according to The Associated Press.
There are no signs of foul play or “readily apparent cause of death,” Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin said in a statement and the state medical examiner’s office is investigated the case, per the outlet.
A native of the Brownsville, Brooklyn, Forté won a full scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire, where he studied violin. After graduating in 1993, Forte spent a brief time at New York University, then dropped out to work A&R at Rawkus Entertainment. Along the way, Forte met Lauryn Hill, and joined the Refugee Camp crew.
Forté is best known for producing two tracks on the Fugees’ monumental album, The Score, and featured on several beloved songs including “Family Business,” “Cowboys,” and bonus single, “Fu-Gee-La.” At 21, Forté received a Grammy nomination for his work on the record and toured with the hip-hop heavyweights.
The artist also collaborated with Jean on the Haitian rapper’s critically acclaimed 1997 debut album, Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival. Forté appeared on “Street Jeopardy” and “We Trying to Stay Alive.” The following year, Forté released his debut solo album, Poly Sci, produced by Jean.
Forté would go on to work with some of the most legendary musicians in the industry, from DMX to Carly Simon. His final album, Vessels, Angels & Ancestors, released in 2021.
In 2000, the producer was arrested for carrying two suitcases filled with over $1.4 million in liquid cocaine through Newark International Airport. He was convicted on intent to distribute charges and given the mandatory minimum 14 years in prison.
When speaking to Rolling Stone from a federal prison in central Pennsylvania in 2002, the artist reflected on what had gone wrong. “I allowed elements to be near me — not drugs but people,” he said. “That’s what caught me up. I was too accessible. I was too here, I was too there. The price the government wants me to pay for that is fourteen years.”
Simon and her son Ben Taylor, who was reportedly best friends with Forte, as well as Senator Orrin Hatch, rallied for Forte’s early release, and in November 2008, Forté was pardoned by then-President George W. Bush
