Angie Stone, ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’ Singer and Sequence Co-Founder, Passes Away at 63

 Angie Stone, ‘Wish I Didn’t Miss You’ Singer and Sequence Co-Founder, Passes Away at 63

Angie Stone, the soul singer who gained fame as a member of the groundbreaking female hip-hop trio The Sequence before establishing herself as a prominent solo artist, has died at the age of 63.

Stone passed away in a car accident early Saturday morning in Montgomery, Alabama. A representative for the singer confirmed to Variety that she was traveling with her band members and background singers following a performance when her Sprinter van overturned. Stone was the only fatality in the crash.

Best known for her 2001 hit “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” a soulful ballad marked by her deep, rich vocals and a prominent sample of the O’Jays' “Backstabbers,” Stone released 10 solo albums throughout her career. She earned three Grammy nominations, including one for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 2003 and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2004.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Stone began her music career at 16 as a member of The Sequence, the first all-female hip-hop trio signed to Sugar Hill Records. While they released several albums, the group is best remembered for their 1979 hit single “Funk You Up,” which became a widely sampled track in modern music, featured in songs like Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' “Uptown Funk” and Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life Worldwide.”

After The Sequence disbanded, Stone joined the group Vertical Hold, releasing two albums in the mid-1990s. During this period, she also contributed songwriting to D'Angelo's albums Brown Sugar and Voodoo and performed as a backup vocalist on his tours.

In the late 1990s, Stone signed with J Records and launched her solo career with her debut album Black Diamond in 1999. She quickly became a key figure in the neo-soul movement. Her breakthrough came with her sophomore album Mahogany Soul in 2001, which produced the hits “Brotha” and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” as well as a remix of the latter that topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. While Mahogany Soul was her most successful international solo album, her following releases — Stone Love (2004) and The Art of Love & War (2007) — continued to climb the charts. She remained active in music, with her final album Love Language released in 2023.

Beyond her music career, Stone appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and R&B Divas: Atlanta, and acted in films such as The Hot Chick and The Fighting Temptations. In 2023, she was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.