Beyoncé is tipping her cap to Angie Stone after the 63-year-old R&B icon’s sudden death over the weekend.
Shortly after her family announced that she’d died in a car crash Saturday (March 1), a black-and-white photo of Stone went up on Beyoncé’s website along with a personal tribute. “Thank you for your voice, your strength and your artistry,” reads the message.
“Your incredible legacy will live on forever,” it continues. “Rest in peace, Angie Stone.”
Stone was traveling with her band from Alabama to Atlanta on Friday (Feb. 28) when her van flipped and was hit “by a big rig” at around 4 a.m., according to a statement shared with Billboard the following day. While the “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” singer died in the accident, everyone else in the vehicle survived.
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Stone started out in music as part of the female rap trio The Sequence. She later embarked on a solo career, scoring several albums in the top 10 of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The musician logged a total of three songs on the Billboard Hot 100: 1999’s “No More Rain,” 2001’s “Brotha” and 2002’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.”
In 2003, Stone played Alma in the film The Fighting Temptations, in which Beyoncé starred.
The Ivy Park founder is currently gearing up to embark on her highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour. At the beginning of February, she took home album of the year for her Billboard 200-topping LP Cowboy Carter along with best country album and best country duo/group performance for “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus.
