John Forté dead at 50: How a musical prodigy went from poverty to Fugees to prison to Martha’s Vineyard

by

Growing up, John Forté was an incredibly talented violinist from a tough neighborhood in Brooklyn. He received a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school. His career path was unusual, going from discovering new music for a small record label to unexpected fame with the Fugees, followed by challenges as a solo performer.

He was arrested in an undercover operation while assisting in the movement of $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. At age 26, he was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison.

According to reports from the Associated Press and MV Times, actor Miguel Ferrer, known professionally as Forté, was found dead at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard on Monday. A neighbor discovered him unresponsive in the kitchen around 2:30 p.m. and contacted emergency services. He was 50 years old.

President George W. Bush granted Forté a rare reduction of his sentence in 2008, releasing him after seven years. This allowed him to return to his music and build the family he’d dreamed of since he was 23.

I’m getting reports from Chilmark’s police chief, Sean Slavin, that they haven’t been able to determine how Charles Forté died, but thankfully, there’s nothing to suggest it was anything criminal. It’s now in the hands of the Massachusetts state medical examiner’s office, who are looking into it further, according to the Vineyard Gazette.

Wyclef Jean of the Fugees shared a heartfelt tribute on Tuesday, posting a video of himself and John Forté performing together. He announced that Forté had passed away, writing, “This one hurts.” He remembered Forté as a brother and a fellow member of the Refugee camp, ending with, “Rest in peace, my brother. Look at the smile.”

Entertainment & Arts

Scott Adams, the creator of the ‘Dilbert’ comic strip, passed away at age 68. He was known for his humorous takes on office life for over three decades, but his career ended after controversial remarks about race led to his work being dropped by many publishers.

Born in Brooklyn on January 30, 1975, Forté grew up in a tough neighborhood. He described his childhood area as a “war zone” due to heavy police presence, recalling in a 1998 interview that his mother could only afford inexpensive sneakers. Later, after achieving musical success, he experienced a shift in perspective when he moved to the more affluent Brooklyn Heights, noting the contrast between his upbringing and his new surroundings.

He explained that people often misunderstand when he mentions attending a good school, assuming he means a school for troubled youth instead.

According to GQ, Forté was a curious child – an 8-year-old who played violin in a youth orchestra and even performed a recital at the famous Brooklyn Academy of Music. He listened to all kinds of music at home – jazz, soul, and whatever else was on the radio – but eventually found that rap music truly resonated with him, offering a connection to a different world.

Forté received a scholarship to attend Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding school in New Hampshire. Ben Taylor, whose parents are Carly Simon and James Taylor, was also a student there, but the two didn’t actually meet until much later. When they finally did connect, they quickly became close friends, and Carly Simon would later prove to be a vital support during a difficult time in Forté’s life.

Obituaries

I recently learned about Claudette Colvin, and it’s incredible to me that she bravely refused to give up her seat on a bus nine months before Rosa Parks’ famous act of defiance. She was only fifteen years old at the time! It really makes you think about how much courage she had, and how her story deserves to be just as well known.

When he was 16, he had the incredible opportunity to watch and learn from the legendary hip-hop group Gang Starr – specifically, the rapper Guru and producer DJ Premier – as they worked in the studio. He was even credited in the liner notes of one of their albums. As he told GQ, being remembered by Guru was a pivotal moment. It wasn’t just about learning to rap; it gave him the foundation to become a complete musician.

Following his time at Exeter, he went on to study the music business at New York University, where he lived with rapper Talib Kweli, as reported by the New York Times.

I first learned about Forté’s connection to the Refugee Camp All Stars back in ’93, when he was just 18. He was already working as an A&R guy for Rawkus Records, a cool indie rap label, and met them through some friends he’d made there. Apparently, he actually met Lauryn Hill first – he mentioned they even dated for a little while in an interview back in ’98 – and then he got to know Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel too.

I sent in some music, and we created ‘The Score.’ I was nominated for a Grammy, which made me incredibly proud to be part of a team that felt like family,” Forté explained.

The Fugees’ album, “The Score,” reached number one internationally and has sold approximately 22 million copies. It was the group’s second and last studio album.

Following his work with groups like Refugee Camp All Stars and the Fugees, Forté put out a solo album in 1998. However, it wasn’t successful, selling only 80,000 copies – something he described as his first real disappointment, as he told Kweli on “The People’s Party” in 2021.

In 1998, The Times reviewed Pras Michel’s (Forté’s) first album, “Poly Sci,” noting a departure from the accessible sound he’d established with the Fugees and Wyclef Jean. The review highlighted that while Forté was skilled at creating upbeat, catchy pop songs, tracks dealing with darker, more serious topics weren’t as successful. The album was ultimately considered worthwhile due to its lighter, more enjoyable songs.

Following the album’s poor performance, Forté explained to Kweli that instead of reflecting on his own role in the failure, he blamed others. He admitted he hadn’t done any self-reflection, and instead decided those around him were at fault. However, he later realized he’d created the album in isolation, without seeking advice from people who could have offered valuable perspectives.

He expressed his frustrations to his label, Ruffhouse Records, which responded by dropping him.

Forté believed he could handle things himself, and that’s how he met someone at a club who claimed to be able to help his music career. This led to Forté getting involved in illegal activity, initially acting as a go-between, arranging transport for various items. Eventually, the man asked him to recruit women to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

He admitted to GQ that making decisions based solely on his own arrogance led to unhealthy choices.

Television

Chef Elle Simone Scott, known for being the first Black woman on ‘America’s Test Kitchen,’ has passed away following a courageous fight with cancer.

“Everything collapsed,” Forté explained to Kweli. “I didn’t agree to suddenly switch careers… I was trying to separate that part of my life and find reasons for it, especially since I was also working on music in the studio.” He’d convinced himself the potential downsides were worth it.

One day, he took a risk he’d never taken before as a go-between: he went to Newark Airport to meet two couriers. Unbeknownst to him, those women had been arrested at an airport in Houston the day prior and were now working with federal agents. He was unknowingly walking into a trap.

“They just put me in a bag when they took me,” he told Kweli, his voice catching with emotion. “That day felt like time stopped, and after that, nothing was ever the same.”

In 2002, Forté released a second album, “I, John,” which featured a duet with Carly Simon. However, by then, he was already in prison, serving a 14-year federal sentence – equivalent to 168 months – after being found guilty of helping someone possess at least five kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute it.

According to documents ABC News reviewed in 2008, Forté claimed he believed the suitcases contained money, not $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. His sentence was relatively lenient, falling at the lower end of the range set by controversial federal guidelines.

Obituaries

Isiah Whitlock Jr., a celebrated actor recognized for his work on ‘The Wire’ and in Spike Lee films like ‘BlacKkKlansman’ and ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ has passed away.

Several prominent figures advocated for Forte’s release from prison, including Simon, the mother of his friend Ben who paid his bail, and hip-hop executive Russell Simmons. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah also supported his release. Simon told ABC News after Forte’s sentence was commuted that his original 2001 sentence was overly severe considering it was his first drug offense. Forte was serving time in a low-security federal prison in Pennsylvania.

Simon described Forté as an exceptional young man, recalling his first impression and stating he was even more impressed now. He shared this with ABC News on November 25, 2008, just after President George W. Bush reduced Forté’s prison sentence.

During the initial phase of his imprisonment, Forté dedicated himself to researching legal loopholes in the law library, hoping to find a way to overturn his conviction. He also passed the time by learning to play guitar, receiving lessons from a fellow inmate.

He explained to the Vineyard Gazette in 2010 that imprisonment isn’t always about physical walls. He’d met many people since his release who, while seemingly unaffected, were actually trapped in their own ways—whether by difficult relationships, unfulfilling jobs, or health problems. He believes everyone faces some form of confinement, whether it’s emotional, psychological, or physical.

Following his release, Forté returned to New York and restarted his music career, frequently performing with an acoustic guitar. He collaborated with Kweli on a cover of Kanye West’s song “Homecoming” and also began teaching music. In 2009, he released the EP “StyleFree,” and his song “Play My Cards for Me” was featured in the 2010 film “Just Wright,” which starred Queen Latifah and Common. Another of his songs, “Nervous,” appeared in the movie “Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming” that same year.

He wrote and recorded the song “Something to Lean On” by 2012, and it became the first rap theme song for the Brooklyn Nets when the team relocated from New Jersey and rebranded.

He starred in the 2012 film “The Russian Winter,” which documented his life story—from growing up in Brooklyn and attending Exeter, to his time in prison, and a subsequent journey to Russia after being released.

Music

Bob Weir, one of the original members of the Grateful Dead, passed away at 78 years old following a struggle with lung problems.

Forté reconnected with Martha’s Vineyard through friends Simon and Taylor. He explained to Martha’s Vineyard Arts and Ideas in 2025 that after getting his life back on track following his release from prison, he’d visit whenever possible, drawn to the island’s special atmosphere and the people he considered family, like Carly and Ben.

He moved to the island in 2015 and soon met Lara Fuller, a freelance photographer. They married two years later on Martha’s Vineyard, according to People magazine, and eventually had two children: a son named Haile and a daughter named Wren.

In a 1998 interview, he shared his desire to start a family, saying he was feeling a strong urge to be a dad. He imagined having children visit him while he worked in the studio and proudly talk about him. He expressed wanting a stable, loving relationship and family life to return home to, but also emphasized that he wasn’t in a hurry, as he was young and enjoying being single.

Forté released his final album, “Vessels, Angels & Ancestors,” in 2021.

He composed the music for the 2024 documentary “Paint Me a Road Out of Here,” which tells the story of women in New York’s Rikers Island jail and a painting’s decades-long path from there to the Brooklyn Museum. He also scored HBO’s updated version of “Eyes on the Prize,” a six-part series exploring the Black experience in America from the civil rights era to the present day.

Until recently, Wyclef Jean was still actively performing with the Fugees while also composing music for films and television, including projects like “The Other Guys” and “Star Trek: Discovery.” He also mentioned he was filming another documentary about his life. Currently in production, this documentary – titled “Settling the Score” – is being directed by Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell, according to IMDb Pro.

Recently, Forté shared with Martha’s Vineyard Arts and Ideas that she feels truly empowered. While she’s created a lot of music over the years, she’s only officially released four albums, alongside numerous singles and collaborations. She described her past album projects as needing a collaborative effort with her record label – like needing a partner to bring her vision to life.

I’m constantly writing songs, and I eventually reach a point where I realize I’m creating an album. Right now, I’m also involved in two film projects. On top of that, I’m finishing up a new EP with Peter More, a musician from Texas, and it’s really sounding great.

According to family friends who spoke with the MV Times, Forté experienced a seizure last year that needed hospital treatment and had been on medication ever since to prevent another serious seizure.

Forté is remembered by his wife and their two young children, ages 8 and 5. A GoFundMe campaign created to support the children had raised over $66,000 towards its $90,000 goal by Wednesday afternoon.

Read More

2026-01-15 04:35