Frankie Beverly, soulful ‘Before I Let Go’ singer and Maze founder, dies at 77

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

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

“He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better,” the family wrote. “He lived for his music, family and friends. Love one another as he would want that for us all.”

The family also asked for privacy as they grieve the soul singer’s loss.

“Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience. 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,” the family wrote. “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.”

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USA TODAY has reached out to Beverly’s rep for comment.

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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.”

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But it was Beverly and Maze’s record “Before I Let Go,” from their 1981 fifth album, “Live in New Orleans,” that the band is most known for, becoming 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 band remained active in recent years, performing live in their signature all-white at festivals, and touring as recently as earlier this year on the six-city I Wanna Thank You Tour, which also marked his retirement.

In March, Beverly was awarded the lifetime achievement award from the NAACP Image Awards.