Another great voice has been silenced. 

R&B singer-songwriter Gerald Levert, whose velvety yet powerful pipes brought him solo success and contributed to the soulful harmonies of the group LeVert, died Friday of a heart attack at his Cleveland home. He was 40. 

"All of us at Atlantic are shocked and deeply saddened by his untimely death," read a statement released by Atlantic Records, which Levert had worked with since 1986. "He was one of the greatest voices of our time, who sang with unmatched soulfulness and power, as well as a tremendously gifted composer and an accomplished producer. 

"Above all, he was an exceptional human being whose warmth and grace inspired us all. Gerald has been a member of our family for two decades, and he will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure and privilege of working with him through the years." 

The Ohio native rose to fame as frontman of the trio LeVert, which he founded with his brother Sean and friend Marc Gordon. Their biggest hits in the 1980s and '90s included "Casanova," "Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop (Goes My Mind)," and "ABC-123." 

LeVert collected a Grammy nod, six gold albums and two Soul Train Music Awards. 

In 1991, Levert headed off to release his first solo album, Private Line, which made it to the top of the R&B charts and produced the hit ballad "Baby Hold On to Me," a duet with his father, Eddie Lavert, who was lead singer of the '70s-era soul group The O'Jays.  

"He was a great voice and a great talent," Pastor Marvin Winans, who worked with LeVert on their 1994 album All Out, told the Detroit Free Press. "And my condolences go out to Eddie and his brothers and the Levert family."   

Levert also recorded the album Father & Son with his dad in 1995. 

Other top talent Levert collaborated with over the years included Patti LaBelle, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass, Stephanie Mills, Miki Howard, Kelly Price, Teena Marie and Chris Rock. 

In case that last one doesn't sound familiar, Levert sang the chorus on Rock's spoken-word "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)," off his Grammy-winning Bigger & Blacker album.  

Levert got back into the group groove in 1997, teaming up with R&B stars Johnny Gill and Keith Sweat to form the "supergroup" LSG. Their self-titled debut, featuring the smooth grooves of "My Body," sold more than 2 million copies.  

In 2004 Levert shook things up a bit, veering away from the sensual themes that defined his earlier work (i.e. 2002's The G Spot) to focus on the social issues closest to his heart in Do I Speak for the World. 

"It's a socially conscious thing," Levert, who was born in Cleveland but spent summers in Detroit with his grandparents, told the Free Press about his album. "There are some love songs, but not the sex-you-down-type songs. It's more love relationship, break up and getting back together-type songs. I have some religion stuff and some state-of-the-world-type stuff, too. 

"I wanted the shock factor. The war and the president and the school systems—all these different things that are happening that I think needed to be addressed and I'm talking about it. It's a departure from what I would mainly do on a record. It's time…And I'm willing to take that chance right now in my career and my life." 

And Levert never stopped cranking out soulful tunes. His latest album was 2005's Voices. Also last year, his daughter Calysia (Levert had four children) was featured on an episode of MTV's My Super Sweet 16.

"We are overwhelmed by the generous outpouring of love, condolences and support from the many friends, fans and admirers of Gerald¹s life and legacy," the singer's family said in a statement. "As everybody knows, Gerald was a man who loved and breathed music.

"To his family and friends he was a man of strong character, who had an infectious personality and a zest for life. For his fans, his greatest love was touching the hearts and souls of all people through his music."