Sean Levert

Sean Levert
Levert in 1995
Levert in 1995
Background information
Birth nameSean Edward Levert
BornSeptember 28, 1968
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 30, 2008(2008-03-30) (aged 39)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
InstrumentVocals
Years active1983–2008
Labels
Formerly of

Sean Edward Levert (September 28, 1968 – March 30, 2008)[1] was an American singer-songwriter and actor. Levert was best known as a member of the R&B vocal group LeVert. Levert was the son of O'Jays lead singer Eddie Levert and younger brother of singer Gerald Levert.

Life and career

Sean Levert was born in Cleveland, Ohio,[1] and was the son of Eddie Levert, the lead singer of the O'Jays.[2] He formed the trio LeVert with older brother Gerald Levert and childhood friend Marc Gordon; together they scored several smash hits on the U.S. R&B charts in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1995, Sean launched a solo career with the album The Other Side on Atlantic Records, which peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard R&B chart and number 146 on the Billboard 200.[3] The album yielded the charting singles "Put Your Body Where Your Mouth Is" (U.S. R&B number 40) and "Same One" (U.S. R&B number 57) that same year.[3] Sean and Gerald Levert appeared in the film New Jack City (1991);[4] Sean also played a part in the direct-to-video Dope Case Pending (2000).

Personal life

Levert was married to Angela Lowe, and had six children: Shareaun Woods, Keith Potts, Sean Levert Jr., Breoni Levert, Brandon Levert, and Chad Levert. His father is the third cousin of Cleveland Cavaliers NBA star Caris LeVert.[5] In 2008, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison for failing to pay child support for three of his children, then aged 11, 15, and 17.[2][6]

Health and death

Levert became ill while incarcerated in the Cuyahoga County Correctional Facility, prior to his transfer to a state prison, reporting high blood pressure and hallucinations; he died six days after being admitted to the jail, on March 30. The Cuyahoga County coroner ruled in May that his death was caused by complications from sarcoidosis.[6] The official Coroner's report also noted contributing factors of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and withdrawal from Xanax; he was 39 years old. In 2010, his widow was awarded $4,000,000 as the result of a lawsuit filed against Cuyahoga County.[7]

Discography

See also: LeVert discography

References

  1. ^ a b "Sean Levert". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b "Second Levert Brother Dies". Yahoo! Music. March 31, 2008. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Sean Levert - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015.
  4. ^ UPI.com (2008). "R&B singer Sean Levert dead". UPI. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Franklin, Drew (March 5, 2014). "College Basketball Road Trip: Michigan—The most interesting team in the world". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on November 28, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Sean Levert, One-Third of the 1980s R&B Trio LeVert, Dies at 39". The New York Times. April 2, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2011. Mr. Levert was sentenced last week to one year and 10 months in jail for failing to pay $89,025 in child support.
  7. ^ "Xanax withdrawal probably a factor in Sean Levert's death, expert says | cleveland.com". Blog.cleveland.com. November 14, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2014.