Eddie Levert, lead vocalist of The O’Jays, has reportedly lost his youngest daughter, Ryan Levert, to lupus. At the time of writing, the family was yet to issue an official statement, though the RnB Talk Show took to Instagram on December 22 to pay their condolences, alongside an image of the deceased:
“Prayers to the LeVert family, Eddie LeVert youngest daughter Ryan LeVert has passed away at age 22 from “Lupus”."
Eddie Levert, born Edward Levert on June 16, 1942, first married Martha Byrd in 1966, though the two later parted ways. He has four children with her. He then married Raquel Capelton in 2005. The two have been married for almost twenty years and have one child. In addition to Ryan, two other children of Levert's passed away, including Gerald in 2006 and Sean in 2008.
Eddie Levert lost his third child in the last 15 years and says he still wonders if it was his fault
Read MayoClinic's official overview of Lupus:
"Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs."
There isn't much else known about Ryan Levert's passing, though Eddie Levert himself is no stranger to the loss of a child. His son Gerald passed away at the age of 40 to an accidental overdose, and in two years, he lost his other son, Sean, also at the age of 40. He reportedly died of an unknown sickness while behind bars at the Cuyahoga County Jail.
As reported by Cleveland.com, back in June 2011, Eddie Levert reflected on the impact losing his sons had on him:
"I still wonder: Was it something I did? Maybe that’s why I’ve made so many changes in my life, to better myself and try to be a better father, a better husband, a better friend. Maybe that’s the reason why: for me to come to a better place. But I can’t dwell on it. It becomes very emotional for me. It gets to a place where . . .”
He went on:
"I really miss them. It’s just hard. But I can’t get caught up in the fact that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, because it happened. And there was nothing I could do about it.”
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His sons followed their father into the R&B industry. Gerald, Sean, and friend Marc Gordon formed a trio and produced the hit track Casanova in 1987. Four years later, though, Gerald parted ways to fly solo.
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