Angie Stone, Neo-Soul Singer, Dead at 63

Angie Stone, the acclaimed neo-soul singer and a founding member of the pioneering all-female hip-hop group The Sequence, has passed away at the age of 63.

According to her representative, Deborah R. Champagne, Stone died early Saturday morning in a car accident following a concert in Montgomery, Alabama. She was en route to a scheduled performance in Baltimore when the crash occurred on Interstate 65 in Montgomery County. Stone’s daughter, Diamond, also confirmed her mother’s passing on social media.

“Angie Stone’s voice and spirit will live on forever in the hearts of those she touched,” her publicist said in a statement (via CNN). The family will announce details regarding memorial services at a later date.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Stone (then known as Angie B) co-founded The Sequence in 1979 alongside Cheryl “The Pearl” Cook and Gwendolyn “Blondy” Chisolm. The group made history as the first female hip-hop act signed to Sugar Hill Records, releasing their debut single “Funk You Up”—a song later referenced by Dr. Dre ("Keep Their Heads Ringin’") and heavily influencing Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s "Uptown Funk".

“The lyrics, the cadence, the melodies—they took all of it,” Stone told Rolling Stone in 2017, referring to Mars and Ronson’s hit song. “We need some of that, because we created that!”

After The Sequence disbanded in 1985, Stone went on to perform with groups like Mantronix, Vertical Hold, and Devox before making her mark in the neo-soul movement. She collaborated with D’Angelo on his 1995 debut album Brown Sugar, co-writing “Jonz on My Bonz.” The two were also romantically involved and welcomed a son together in 1998.

Her legacy as a trailblazer in hip-hop and neo-soul continues to inspire generations of artists and fans.