Frankie Beverly dead: Maze singer was 77

Frankie Beverly, the "Before I Let Go" hitmaker with his band Maze, has died. He was 77.

His death was announced Wednesday by his family on the official Frankie Beverly and Maze Facebook page.

"Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience," the family wrote. "During this time, as we are navigating feelings of sorrow, reflection, and remembrance we kindly ask for privacy and understanding, allowing us the space to grieve in our own way. This period for is one of healing, and your respect for our need for solitude is appreciated as we honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly."

The Philadelphia native founded Maze, under the original name Raw Soul, in 1970 and would open for Marvin Gaye, who reportedly suggested the name change. The band, also billed as Maze feat. Frankie Beverly, went on to release nine gold albums from the late 1970s to early 1990s, including hits like "Joy and Pain," "We Are One," "Can't Get Over You" and "Golden Time of Day."

But it was Beverly and Maze's record "Before I Let Go," from their 1981 fifth album, "Live in New Orleans," that became synonymous with Black cookouts, family reunions and other gatherings.

" 'Before I Let Go' really did turn out to be something more than I even imagined," Beverly told Essence in 2020. "I got blessed with that."

The upbeat song, he said at the time, is actually about a love lost."I was seeing some lady but I was just with someone (else) and we broke up, he told the outlet. "And it got kind of hard because I wasn’t with the woman I wanted to be with and I couldn't stay with the one I was with."

In 2019, Beyoncé covered the track for her "Homecoming" film and corresponding live album following her Coachella performance.

Beverly told Billboard that year that the platinum-selling cover was "one of the high points of my life." The song It was part of the set list of Beyonce'́s epic Renaissance World Tour last year.

In March, Beverly was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the NAACP Image Awards dinner. NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said Beverly and fellow recipient New Edition have been "instrumental in shaping our cultural landscape with their remarkable talent and enduring influence.”

Read more at usatoday.com.