The Tragic Death Of R&B Singer Jesse Powell

The R&B world has lost another legend — Jesse Powell has died at age 51. Jesse's sister, Grammy award-winning musician Tamara Powell, announced Jesse's passing on Instagram on September 13. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved bother, uncle, and son, Jesse Powell." According to the post, the Grammy award nominee passed away in his Los Angeles home. "Jesse loved music and he especially loved his fans who supported him throughout his career. We want you all to know that you meant the world to him. – The Powell Family," Tamara added. Jesse's other sister, Trina Powell, who worked in the music industry alongside her sister Tamara, reposted Tamara's statement to her Facebook. At this time, Jesse's family has not released an official cause of death. Since there was no prior press about possible causes, fans didn't see this coming. 

According to TMZ, Jesse was born in Gary, Indiana. He was first discovered at a talent show, although his career didn't take off until the mid '90s. He's best known for his hit single "You," which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard charts. The song, released as part of Jesse's self-titled debut album and his follow-up, "Bout it," did exceptionally better on the R&B charts, reaching the No. 2 slot. After the success of "You," Jesse went on to release two more albums before retiring in 2003, per Vibe. 

Unfortunately Jesse Powell's passing adds him to the list of celebrities who've died in 2022, and it appears to be hitting people hard. The late singer has received an outpouring of support from his fans and peers within the entertainment industry. 

Gospel singer Erica Campbell wrote, via Tamara Powell's post, "Oh no so very sorry Prayers up for the family rip Jesse." The "Help" singer also reposted another fan's tribute to her Instagram story, writing, "RIP Jesse Powell." DJ Mark Kinchen also expressed his condolences on the post, writing, "Da* I'm sorry to hear that," along with three broken heart emojis. Meanwhile, R&B songstress Deborah Cox shared a sweet anecdote about the time they worked together. "Deep condolences to you and the family. What a gentleman and sweet soul. I remember we had a promo gig in St. Louis and he saaaaaang dowwwwwn!!! Whew!! What a voice!!"

Over on Twitter, Powell's fans have shared many posts to honor him. One user posted a video clip of Powell's hit, "You," and captioned the clip "Rest in peace King." At the time of this writing, the tweet has racked up over 16,000 likes and 6,400 retweets. Another Twitter user wrote, "Jesse Powell is another one of those artist that I don't know ever received his flowers while he was here. He had such an unforgettable recognizable voice and created some of the most beautiful music that will forever be played in my house."