<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3DnQmL_0vT0t3kD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3DnQmL_0vT0t3kD00" width="1920" height="1080" ><figcaption>Frankie Beverly was honored by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and former Mayor Marc Morial this summer. Photo: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for Essence</figcaption></figure>Frankie Beverly might have been born in Philadelphia, but he was as much an honorary New Orleanian as anyone could be.Why it matters: Beverly died Tuesday at 77, according to a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_xq4KGRR3C/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">family statement</a> posted to his Instagram account.What they said: "He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better," the statement reads. "He lived for his music, family and friends."Zoom in: With his band Maze, Beverly was in New Orleans almost constantly for decades. <ul><li>That includes closing gigs at Essence Fest, repeat appearances at Jazz Fest and recording the 1981 R&amp;B and soul classic "Live in New Orleans" at the Saenger Theatre.</li><li>That album came out the year New Orleans musician PJ Morton was born, he wrote on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_xz7bhI2N-/?igsh=MTJ6amIyMzZ1dGNpeQ%3D%3D">Instagram</a>, "so it's just always been there."</li></ul>"I didn't realize until later that [Beverly] wasn't from New Orleans," Morton wrote. "We've always held him as our own."Beverly's last New Orleans performance was in May during a sold-out <a href="https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/new-orleans-said-farewell-to-frankie-beverly-and-maze/article_b1374cfe-1b8d-11ef-886a-7b155c992669.html">Smoothie King Center stop</a> as part of his farewell tour.Go deeper: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/arts/music/frankie-beverly-dead.html">Beverly's New York Times obituary.</a><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1ar7XB_0vT0t3kD00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ar7XB_0vT0t3kD00" width="1500" height="998" ><figcaption>Frankie Beverly and Maze perform to close out the 10th Essence Fest in the New Orleans Superdome in 2004. Photo: James Crump/WireImage for EMI Music Distribution</figcaption></figure></div></body>

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Frankie Beverly, an honorary New Orleanian, has died

Frankie Beverly might have been born in Philadelphia, but he was as much an honorary New Orleanian as anyone could be. Why it matters: Beverly died Tuesday at 77, according to a family statement posted to his Instagram account. What they said: \"He lived his life with pure soul as...

Frankie Beverly might have been born in Philadelphia, but he was as much an honorary New Orleanian as anyone could be. Why it matters: Beverly died Tuesday at 77, according to a family statement posted to his Instagram account. What they said: "He lived his life with pure soul as...

Frankie Beverly, an honorary New Orleanian, has died

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