R&B Singer Angie Stone passes away at 63 following car accident

Family, friends, and fans are mourning the tragic loss of R&B trailblazer Angie Stone, who passed away at 63 following a horrific car accident on an Alabama highway. Stone was returning home from a performance when the crash occurred. The news was confirmed by her representative, Deborah R. Champagne, and later by her sister.

Stone succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash after performing at the Grand Marshal’s Ball in Mobile, Alabama, on Friday night. According to the Alabama Highway Patrol, Stone was traveling in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van on Interstate 65 early Saturday when it overturned. The van was then struck by a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia truck. Stone was pronounced dead at the scene. Eight other passengers in the van, including the driver, were injured, and taken to a nearby hospital. Stone was the only person to lose her life in the accident. The crash is under investigation, and no additional fatalities have been reported.

Stone, who was traveling back to Atlanta after her performance in Mobile, was a pioneering figure in the music world. Her label, SRG/ILS, confirmed the news and expressed condolences. The accident occurred about five miles south of Montgomery, Alabama, and is still under investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

A Legacy in Music

Stone’s career began in the 1980s with the South Carolina trio, The Sequence, known for hits like “Funk You Up” and “Love Changes.” As the first all-female group signed to Sugar Hill Records, The Sequence helped lay the foundation for Southern Hip-Hop, which would later become a dominant force in the genre.

In the late 1990s, Stone embarked on a successful solo career, releasing her debut album, Black Diamond, in 1999. The album debuted at number 9 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart and featured the hit single “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” which reached number one on Billboard’s US Adult R&B chart. Another fan favorite, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” became a timeless anthem upon its release in 2001.

Stone’s sultry, mature, and empowering brand of R&B made her a respected figure in the music world, and her contributions will continue to resonate with fans for generations to come.

In a joint statement shared by Stone’s publicist, her two children, Diamond Stone, and Michael Archer (whom she shared with singer-songwriter D’Angelo), expressed their shock and heartbreak:

“Never in a million years did we ever expect to get this horrible news. Our mom is and will always be our everything. We are still trying to process and are completely heartbroken.”