• 2 months ago
Frankie Beverly, the legendary R&B singer, songwriter, and producer, passed away on September 10, at the age of 77. His family announced the news early Wednesday morning, with a heartfelt post on social media.

Beverly was well known with the ESSENCE Festival audience, donning his all-white stage outfits and rocking the crowd with his signature smooth vocals. He became a beloved staple at the event, headlining the festival on several occasions, exciting fans with timeless songs and unforgettable performances.
Transcript
00:00I'm Frankie Beverly of the Mayor of Maize, and I do love Essence Festival.
00:12It's always nice to be honored by your people, so I love that.
00:20I had the pleasure, come on up Frankie, to serve as mayor of this city when we started
00:27Essence 30 years ago.
00:30Make some noise for that!
00:33And throughout those 30 years, in the first and the early years, the high point of Essence
00:42was always when the great Frankie Beverly of Maize closed this show.
00:52And this is a man that brought us Joy and Pain, Southern Girl, and say we are one!
01:00We are one!
01:02So tonight, I am proud to present to Frankie just one of a number of tributes, to say to
01:14Thank you Frankie Beverly and Maize for bringing us joy, celebration, and for becoming part
01:24of the Essence Music Festival tradition and history.
01:29Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Frankie Beverly.
01:33We love Frankie.
01:34Listen, we know that we are one, and we are stronger together, and as Essence has said,
01:43we love us, and we love Frankie!