Latest news with #Tonyies
USA Today
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
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." Remembering those we lost: Celebrity Deaths 2025 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.
USA Today
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tony! Toni! Toné! singer D'Wayne Wiggins dies at 64 after bladder cancer battle
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.
The Independent
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
D'Wayne Wiggins, founding member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone!, has died at 64
D'Wayne Wiggins, a founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Tony! Toni! Tone! behind the classic songs 'Anniversary,' 'It Never Rains (In Southern California)' and (Lay Your Head on My) Pillow," has died. He was 64. Wiggins died Friday morning after battling bladder cancer for over the past year, according to a statement released by his family on social media. 'D'Wayne's life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California,' his family said in a statement. '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." His family added: 'Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.' Wiggins was a vocalist and bass guitarist of the beloved R&B group, which included his brother Raphael Saadiq and their cousin Christian Riley. The group became mainstays of the New Jack Swing movement, blending R&B, jazz and traces of gospel melodies. The Oakland, California, natives burst onto the music scene with their 1988 debut album, 'Who?' with songs like 'Baby Doll' and 'Little Walter.' But it was their 1990 New Jack Swing-infused 'Feels Good' record that gave the group mainstream success, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. They released two more studio projects together, with party hits like 'Let's Get Down,' featuring DJ Quik, and timeless slow jams including 'Whatever You Want,' 'It Never Rains (In Southern California),' '(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow' and 'Anniversary,' a standard in the Black music romance canon. The blood relatives also couldn't predict how their success would affect their relationship. The Tonyies went their separate ways after their fourth album, 1996's platinum-selling 'House of Music.' Fame, finances, miscommunication and creative differences were unsustainable for the group. Wiggins and Riley toured under the group's name between 1998 and 2018, with Amar Khalil taking over lead singing duties. Wiggins also produced and helped grow young artists who would become some of today's brightest young stars, including Zendaya, H.E.R., Kehlani, and even Destiny's Child. Ultimately, through Saadiq's efforts, the group made amends and reunited for a tour in 2023. It was the first road trip featuring the three original members in nearly 30 years. The family members vowed not to let outside influences like managers, record executives and the entertainment business as a whole drive them apart again, realizing that time — at least in the professional sense — is no longer a luxury. In a 2023 interview with The AP, The Tonyies had planned on a new project. '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 said. ___ Associated Press journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton contributed to this report.
