A memorial service is scheduled to honor the life of Angie Stone, a Grammy-nominated R&B singer, who tragically died in a car accident. The service will be held in Austell, Georgia, a city near Atlanta. Stone, aged 63, lost her life when the van she was traveling in overturned and was subsequently struck by a truck south of Montgomery, Alabama. The information was confirmed by Walter Millsap III, long-time manager and music producer associated with Stone. The accident occurred on March 1, and while others in the van survived, Stone did not. After news of her passing broke, fans and fellow artists flooded online platforms with tributes to Stone’s influence and legacy.
The memorial service is set to take place at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Word of Faith Cathedral. Another service will be held on Saturday at First Nazareth Baptist Church situated in Columbia, South Carolina, where Stone traced her roots and began her journey into music.
Angie Stone’s upbringing in Columbia introduced her to a lifetime of music. In a 1999 interview, Stone shared that her home was always filled with melodies, as her mother enjoyed singing around the house while her father performed gospel and blues publically. Stone gained fame as a vocalist with The Sequence, an all-female hip-hop trio under Sugar Hill Records renowned for their hit “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” The Sequence was among the first female groups to record a rap song, paving the way for women in hip-hop.
Their notable song, “Funk You Up,” would be later sampled by numerous artists in the music industry, including Dr. Dre. After her initial success in the 1980s, Stone moved on to perform with Vertical Hold before embarking on her solo career. She released several impactful songs, including hits like “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” and “Baby,” alongside Betty Wright. Her track “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” remains a powerful anthem.
Amid the rise of neo-soul artists such as Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Maxwell, and D’Angelo during the early 2000s, Stone found her musical niche. Her 2001 album, “Mahagony Soul,” claimed the 22nd spot on the Billboard 200, while “The Art Of Love & War” peaked at number 11 in 2007. Stone also achieved success as a Soul Train Lady of Soul award recipient and ventured into acting with appearances in films such as “The Hot Chick,” “The Fighting Temptations,” and “Ride Along.”
Additionally, Stone graced Broadway as Big Mama Morton in “Chicago,” and revealed more of herself on reality TV shows like “Celebrity Fit Club” and “R&B Divas: Atlanta.” Stone’s legacy as a versatile singer, songwriter, and actress indelibly marks her as a significant figure in the entertainment industry.
