Soul star Gerald Levert has died of a heart attack at the age of 40.
Levert, son of O'Jays singer Eddie Levert, was also part of the soul supergroup LSG with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill.Gerald died in his sleep at his home in Cleveland, Ohio. Only this week, the singer had returned from South Africa with his father where they met Nelson Mandela.
The Levert family has issued the following statement following Gerald's death. "As everybody knows, Gerald was a man who loved and breathed music. To his family and friends he was a man of strong character, who had an infectious personality and a zest for life. For his fans, his greatest love was touching the hearts and souls of all people through his music. At this very difficult time, we thank you for your prayers and hope you will understand our need for privacy".
Soul singer Patti LaBelle was close to Levert. "He was such a great entertainer. It's not for real to me that he is gone. Nobody was prepared for this," she said in a statement. She has asked to sing at his funeral.
Levert's solo hits include '(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes The Mind and 'Baby I'm Ready'.
Gerald recorded his first single 'I'm Still' with friend Marc Gordon and brother Sean as Levert. Although it only reached number 70 on the US chart, it set the template for what was to come.
His debut solo album 'Private Line' was released in 1991. It gave him his first number one R&B hit.
In 1992, he recorded 'Baby Hold On To Me', a duet with his father, and scored another number one single.
As a songwriter, Levert has written for Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass, Stephanie Mills and his father's group The O'Jays.
His most recent studio album 'Do I Speak For The World' was released in 2004.
