Edmund Theodore Sylvers (January 25, 1957 — March 11, 2004) was an American singer–songwriter, actor and musician. Sylvers was best known as the lead singer of the American family

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

vocal group

The Sylvers The Sylvers were an American R&B family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. The Sylvers were a popular act during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", "Boogie Fever", and "Hot Line (song), Hot Line". Prior to bec ...

, which had popular success with songs such as "Boogie Fever" during the mid- to late-1970s.

Biography

Born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, and raised in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Sylvers was the fifth child born to Shirley Mae (née Wyble) (1932 — 2014) and Leon Frank Sylvers, Jr. (1932 — 2005). At the age of 14, he began his entertainment career as a voice actor playing the role of

Marlon Jackson Marlon David Jackson (born March 12, 1957) is an American entertainer, singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity wor ...

on the ABC–TV cartoon series '' The Jackson 5ive''. After the series ended when he was 15, Sylvers joined his family-based group as the lead singer, and he was 18 in 1975 when he sang lead on the group's biggest hit, "

Boogie Fever "Boogie Fever" is a song recorded by Los Angeles, California-based R&B group the Sylvers, from their 1975 album ''Showcase''. Their most lucrative single, it reached No. 1 in the US on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts as ...

". After the group's success passed, Sylvers embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut ''Have You Heard'' in 1980.

Personal life and death

Sylvers dated singer

Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best ...

(who was 15 years his senior) from 1979 until January 1983. Sylvers had 11 children, one of whom is actor Jeremy Sylvers, who is most known for his role in the 1991 horror film ''

Child's Play 3 ''Child's Play 3'' is a 1991 American slasher film and the third installment in the '' Child's Play'' film series. The film is written by Don Mancini and directed by Jack Bender. Brad Dourif once again reprised his role as Chucky from the previo ...

''. After a ten-month battle with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

, Edmund Sylvers died at a Virginia hospital on March 11, 2004, at age 47.

References

External links

*
Edmund Sylvers at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sylvers, Edmund 1957 births 2004 deaths American male pop singers 20th-century African-American male singers American rhythm and blues singers American disco musicians Deaths from lung cancer 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers Deaths from cancer in Virginia 21st-century African-American people