Tony! Toni! Toné! singer D'Wayne Wiggins dies at 64 after bladder cancer battle

USA Today

08-03-2025

Tony! Toni! Toné! singer D'Wayne Wiggins dies at 64 after bladder cancer battle
Grammy-nominated singer and guitarist D'Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the seminal R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, has died, the group announced Friday on social media. He was 64.
"With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D'Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones" Wiggins' family wrote in a statement shared on the group's social media channels Friday.
"Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer," the statement said. "Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community."
The announcement came two days after the Wiggins family shared the singer was experiencing "medical complications."
Friday's statement continued: "D'Wayne's life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California. He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many."
A representative for Wiggins confirmed the musician's death to USA TODAY with a news release that shared a memorial services are in the works.
"We will share more details as they are available. For now, we ask that you continue to respect our privacy. We mourn with you, and are deeply grateful for your love and support," the announcement states.
The group — comprising Wiggins, brother Raphael Saadiq and their cousin Timonthy Christian Riley — had a performance in Northern California later this month that was canceled "due to illness."
The Tonyies were working on new music amid their 2023 reunion tour
In 2023, the Oakland-born group which formed in the late 1980s and released hits 'Little Walter," "Feels Good" and "Anniversary," embarked on their first headlining tour in more than two decades with the original founding members.
In a 2023 interview with The Associated Press, the three family members who call themselves the Tonyies credited Saadiq with getting the band back together.
"I didn't tell any of the managers or team or anybody because I just wanted it to be us," Saadiq said. "I wanted to be in a room where the only power structure was one, two and three. ... We have to be us first before we could talk to anybody because that's what happened the last time."
He also teased new music the trio was working on at the time, declaring, "There's going to be another album." But he wanted to ensure they were in the right headspace for creating their first record since 1996's "House of Music."
"I thought we need to really hone in on what we're doing for touring and then go home and then take like two days off, and then start on the album,' Saadiq said.
"We got a lot of material and now we just want to make sure that we put out the right energy through our music," Wiggins added.
Aside from Tony! Toni! Toné! and his solo career, which resulted in the 2000 album 'Eyes Never Lie," Wiggins also worked as a producer for the likes of Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys and Keyshia Cole early in their careers.