Angie Stone: Memorial Held in Austell, GA

On March 14th, family, friends, and music industry peers of songstress Angie Stone gathered to say their final farewell to the queen of neo-soul at her public memorial service. The singer died March 1st at age 63 in a horrific car accident in Montgomery, Alabama, after leaving an event in which she performed.

Angie Stone’s silver and gold casket laid on a bed of roses as mourners filled the pews of Word of Faith Cathedral in Austell, GA, west of Atlanta. Bishop Dale Bronner gave greetings and opening prayers at the ceremony, highlighting, “God is good even when life is not, and so we celebrate the life of our sister that has been well-lived,” as mourners praised his sentiments.

Singer Angie Stone’s casket laying in a bed of roses at funeral service held in Georgia

Stone’s former Sequence groupmate Cheryl The Pearl shared stories of her friendship with the singer. She reminisced about their earlier days in the industry as the first female rap group to release a song under Sugar Hill Records. The ladies broke barriers with their track “Funk You Up,” which eventually went gold. This song made a significant musical impact, with numerous artists sampling it, including Dr. Dre and Bruno Mars.

The Sequence groupmate
Cheryl The Pearl At Angie Stone’s Funeral

Tears were shed as Stone’s friends spoke at the podium, devastated by her loss. Former 112 member Q Parker sang a heartfelt tribute to the singer after his speech honoring Stone.

R&B crooner Musiq Soulchild shared his memories of Angie throughout the years. He stated, “I’ve known Angie since I started in 2000. We did a song together called ‘The Ingredients Of Love’; she was one of the first artists that I worked with, and the energy that she had at the time was so magnetic.”

Anthony Hamilton sang a powerful tribute with his group The Hamiltones.

Family Remembers Angie Stone

Angie Stone’s daughter, Diamond Stone, and son, Michael Archer at her funeral.

Stone’s children, Diamond Stone and Michael Archer, and her grandchild gracefully shared the podium, remembering their mother. Diamond Stone stated, “Dear Mommy, where do I start? We’ve come so far and weathered many storms together. I remember the penny I got you that said, “Don’t be so busy making a living that you forget to make life”. Well, you took that on because, from the looks of it, your life was way more interesting than I ever knew. I know you’re at peace with Grandma and Grandaddy, and I can imagine the smile on y’all faces.”

Her son Michael Archer stated this was “a day he never wanted to see.” He said Stone was like an angel, like a tree that planted roots in the ground. Archer expressed that his mother was his best friend.

Keke Wyatt Performs

Her R&B Divas co-star and friend singer Keke Wyatt stated Stone was a “wonderful person”. “She was so beautiful,” Wyatt said. “Like seriously, I love her music and I love her voice and all that, but her as a person trumps all of that.” Before paying homage giving a stellar performance of ‘His Eyes Are On The Sparrow’. Watch below!

Tyler Perry Calls Out Industry

Tyler Perry gave a jarring speech, blasting the record industry for not paying Angie Stone the monies owed to her from her 40-year career in the music industry. Months before her passing, Angie Stone called out her former record label, UMG, for allegedly not properly compensating her music royalties for songs she wrote for herself and the various artists she produced throughout her career.

“Y’all got to forgive me because I’m angry at the way she was treated,” Perry expressed.

“To think that this woman was in the business for all of these years and there’s a difference between performing because you want to and performing because you have to,” the “Madea” film-maker said. He continued, “All of those years, all of those songs, all of that money that was owed to her — where is it? It’s wrong, this is wrong, and I’m tired of seeing us struggle and go through things and work hard and not reap the benefits of what we were supposed to reap.”

Tyler concluded by calling Stone a “prophet.” “This woman was a prophet, she prophesied and preached her own eulogy,” Perry recollected. “In her song “No More Rain,” she says ‘My sunshine has come and I’m all cried out, there’s no more rain in this cloud.’”

Kirk Franklin made an appearance with his choir, playing several songs from his catalog, including ‘Something About the Name Jesus, ending with ‘Smile, bringing the crowd to their feet.

Lastly, Tamala Mann gave a closing performance of ‘Take Me To The King’ to conclude the memorial.

A second private ceremony was held for Angie Stone on March 15th, in her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, where the singer is to be buried.