The Joseph Caleb Auditorium’s Caleb Around Town – Black Birth Music Series presents The Infancy of Hip Hop Throwdown, a dynamic concert featuring Zedric Bembry’s Live in Color Dance Company. The event celebrates the birth and evolution of Hip Hop on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 7 PM at the Sandrell Rivers Theater, 6103 NW 7th Avenue, Miami, FL 33127.

   The cause of death is unclear … but as we reported, there were concerns about his health just weeks ago when he was hospitalized in New York with an upper respiratory infection. He was later discharged on June 4 and returned home … with a rep telling TMZ he was in good spirits and recovering.

     “We went to — I’ll call her the matriarch of our South Florida community when it comes down to phenomenal heroine Black actresses — and that was Toddra Brunson,” Pride said. “We went to Toddra, and we said, ‘Toddra, you know, you’ve been such a tremendous collaborator with us, we want to do something for you. What is the role that you’ve always wanted to play? What show do you want to do?’ And she said, ‘I want to play Shug Avery in ‘The Color Purple,’’ and we were like, ‘Done!’

     His family confirmed the news to Rolling Stone, stating the veteran singer died following a stroke and “transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”