Frankie Beverly, Founder Of Maze – ‘Black Americas Favorite Band’ – Has Died

Frankie Beverly, singer and frontman of the soul-funk band Maze, has died, according to a statement from his family.

Howard Stanley Beverly, also known as Frankie Beverly, died Tuesday morning, according to an Instagram post from his family. He was 77.

“He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better,” the statement read. “He lived for his music, family, and friends.”

Beverly founded the band Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in Beverly’s hometown of Philadelphia in the 1970s. Ebony magazine once dubbed his group “Black America’s favorite band.”

According to a Billboard report, the band, also known as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, produced nine gold albums between 1977 and 1993.

Their timeless hits include “Happy Feelings,” “Golden Times of Day,” and “Before I Let Go.”

Beyonce released a cover of “Before I Let Go” on her live album, “Homecoming.”

Beverly, along with his band, went on a farewell tour earlier this year.

The “I Wanna Thank You” farewell tour kicked off in Atlanta on March 22 and ended in Los Angeles on May 12.

Maze continued on without Beverly following the tour, now calling themselves Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly.

At the conclusion of his farewell tour, Beverly returned home to Philadelphia, where the street where his childhood home sits was renamed “Frankie Beverly Way.”