Sean Levert
Sean Edward Levert (September 28, 1968 – March 30, 2008)[1] was an American singer-songwriter and actor. Levert is 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.
Sean Levert | |
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Levert in 1995. | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Sean Edward Levert |
Born | September 28, 1968 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | March 30, 2008 39) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | (aged
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1983–2008 |
Labels | |
Associated acts |
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 #22 on the US Billboard R&B chart and #146 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] The album yielded the charting singles "Put Your Body Where Your Mouth Is" (U.S. R&B #40) and "Same One" (U.S. R&B #57) that same year.[4] Sean and Gerald Levert appeared in the film New Jack City (1991);[5] Sean also played a part in the direct-to-video Dope Case Pending (2000).[6]
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 Indiana Pacers NBA star Caris LeVert.[7] In 2008, he was sentenced to a 22–month prison sentence for failing to pay child support for three of his children, then aged 11, 15, and 17.[2][8]
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.[9] 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 a result of lawsuit filed against Cuyahoga County.[10]
Discography
- The Other Side (1995)
References
- Sean Levert at Allmusic
- Second Levert Brother Dies. Yahoo! Music, March 31, 2008.
- Billboard, Allmusic.com
- Billboard Singles, Allmusic.com
- UPI.com (2008). "R&B singer Sean Levert dead". UPI. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- IMDb. "Sean Levert (1968–2008)". IMDb. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- Franklin, Drew (2014-03-05). "College Basketball Road Trip: Michigan—The most interesting team in the world". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
- "Sean Levert, One-Third of the 1980s R&B Trio LeVert, Dies at 39". New York Times. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
Mr. Levert was sentenced last week to one year and 10 months in jail for failing to pay $89,025 in child support.
- Donna J. Miller (????) Coroner says singer Sean Levert died of natural causes. Cleveland.com, accessed 11 August 2019
- "Xanax withdrawal probably a factor in Sean Levert's death, expert says | cleveland.com". Blog.cleveland.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23.