Sean Levert
| Sean Levert | |
|---|---|
|
Levert in 1995. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sean Edward Levert |
| Born |
September 28, 1968 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died |
March 30, 2008 (aged 39) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–2008 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
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.
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 Michigan basketball star, Caris LeVert.[7] In 2008, Levert 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. The official Coroner's report also noted issues 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.[9]
References
- 1 2 Sean Levert at Allmusic
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "Xanax withdrawal probably a factor in Sean Levert's death, expert says | cleveland.com". Blog.cleveland.com. Retrieved 2014-05-23.