Second Levert Brother Dies

Sean Levert, member of R&B trio LeVert with late brother Gerald, dies while serving jail sentence; he was 39

By Natalie Finn Apr 01, 2008 12:29 AMTags

Again, the music stopped too soon.  

Sean Levert, son of O'Jays singer Eddie Levert and a member of the R&B trio LeVert, died suddenly Sunday after a brief illness. He was 39. 

Levert, who passed away at Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland, had been barely one week into a one-year, 10-day jail sentence in Cuyahoga County for failing to pay child support. 

His death leaves childhood friend Mark Gordon as the only surviving member of LeVert, now that both Levert brothers are gone. Sean's older sibling, Gerald, died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in 2006 at age 40. 

An autopsy conducted Monday found no signs of trauma and ruled out foul play, but results were inconclusive, meaning a final report on the cause of death won't be available for four to six weeks pending the outcome of toxicology tests, according to the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office. 

Coroner's spokesman Powell Caesar said Levert suffered from high blood pressure and had been having hallucinations in jail. 

The judge who sentenced Levert said he did not speak in court last week and gave no indication of health problems. He had pleaded guilty to six counts of nonsupport of children ages 11, 15 and 17. 

After Gerald's death, Levert and Gordon worked on keeping their group alive with the help of fellow Ohio native Dwight Thompson, but the fate of LeVert as a trio is unclear now. 

Gordon and the Levert brothers released their debut album, I Get Hot, in 1985, but it was their next two efforts, Bloodline and The Big Throwdown, that contained two of their biggest songs, "Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop (Goes My Mind)" and "Casanova," respectively. 

They released a greatest hits collection, The Best of LeVert, in 2001. 

In January, Gerald Levert posthumously shared in a Grammy win for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for his collaboration with Chaka Khan and Carl Thomas on "Everyday (Family Reunion)," off of the soundtrack to Madea's Family Reunion

Sean Levert accepted the award on his brother's behalf .