R&B singer Jesse Powell, best known for the 1996 hit “You,” died Tuesday at age 51, his family said.
Powell died “peacefully” in his Los Angeles home, according to his sisters, the recording artists Trina and Tamara Powell.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved son, brother and uncle Jesse Powell,” Tamara Powell said in a statement from the family on Instagram.
“The family asks for privacy at this time as we mourn this tremendous loss and celebrate his everlasting legacy,” it said.
The family remembered Powell as a man who loved music and was devoted to his fans.
“We want you all to know that you meant the world to him,” the statement concluded.
A cause of death was not shared.
Trina Powell posted the same statement on her Facebook page.
Tamara Powell shared another post on Instagram, a video of her brother performing to the cheers of the crowd.
“That voice!” she wrote. “Aside from being one of the best R&B male vocalists out there, you were the best big brother ever. I loved you so much."
"We absolutely adored you 'Jet' & our family will not be the same without you," she said.
Hailing from Gary, Indiana, he and his family ended up in Los Angeles in the 1990s to pursue their vocal careers.
Powell released four albums from 1996 and 2003. His second record, “Bout It,” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999.
“You” is the song that has stood the test of time, with nearly 13 million lifetime streams on Spotify. The hit, released on his eponymous debut album in 1996 and again on his 1998 album, "Bout It," rose to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1999.
