John Forté, the recording artist and frequent Fugees collaborator, was found dead in his Chilmark, Massachusetts, home in January 2026. He was 50 years old. The late Grammy nominee’s death shocked fans everywhere, especially when a report claimed he died “suddenly.”
Forté for being a member of the collective Refugee Camp All-Stars and for his collabs “We Trying to Stay Alive” (with Wyclef Jean) and “Rumble in the Jungle.”
Below, learn more about Forté’s life, career and sudden death.
Before becoming a major recording artist and producer, Forté studied classical violin and received a scholarship to study violin at New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy.
Forté once recalled how learning and playing the violin was a pivotal moment for his music career. When he was just 8 years old, the Brooklyn native chose a violin while entering the orchestra room.
“I took that [violin] home, and it changed my whole trajectory,” he said, per the Phillips Exeter Academy. “Music gave me the ability to participate in a way that made me feel so empowered, and like I belonged.”
