Grammy-Nominated Fugees Affiliated Musician John Forté Found Dead at 50 in Massachusetts Home
Written by b87fm on 01/13/2026
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 05: John Forté attends Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation World Premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for NBC Universal)
John Forté, the Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, and longtime Fugees collaborator, has died. He was 50.
According to the Martha’s Vineyard Times, Forté was found unresponsive on the kitchen floor of his home on Monday (Jan. 12) by a neighbor. Emergency responders were called to the scene, and he was pronounced dead shortly after.
“There is no foul play suspected,” Chilmark Police Chief Scott Slavin confirmed.
Forté had lived on Martha’s Vineyard for the past decade. He is survived by his wife, Laura Fuller, and their two children, Wren, 10, and Hale, 7.
A Life in Music and Reinvention
Raised in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Forté studied at New York University before leaving school to pursue music full time. His early career included work at Rawkus Records before he became closely associated with Wyclef Jean, Pras, and Lauryn Hill.
Forté played a key behind-the-scenes role in one of hip-hop’s most influential albums, contributing songwriting to the Fugees’ 1996 classic The Score. He also worked on Wyclef Jean’s 1997 solo debut, Wyclef Jean Presents Carnival featuring The Refugee All-Stars, helping cement his reputation as a gifted lyricist and collaborator.
In 1998, Forté released his debut album Poly Sci, earning critical praise. But just two years later, his career was derailed when he was arrested at Newark International Airport and convicted on federal drug charges after being found in possession of liquid cocaine. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison under mandatory minimum guidelines.
The sentence drew widespread criticism from supporters who argued Forté did not receive a fair trial. Advocates included close friend and collaborator Carly Simon and her son, Ben Taylor, who publicly campaigned for his release.
A Second Act
In 2008, Forté’s sentence was commuted by then-President George W. Bush, allowing him to return home and rebuild his life and career.
He resumed making music and eventually settled full-time on Martha’s Vineyard in 2016, a place he had first fallen in love with during a visit in 1998. There, Forté became deeply embedded in the local creative community, frequently hosting jam sessions and using his home studio as a hub for artistic collaboration.
Beyond music, Forté expanded into film and documentary work. He scored Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation, a documentary exploring the life and legacy of writer Jack Kerouac, and contributed to the revival of the landmark civil rights docuseries Eyes on the Prize.
John Forté would have turned 51 on January 30.
