
The entertainment industry lost Andre Harrell, a music veteran and one of black music’s most influential pioneers. Known for being one half of rap duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and pushing for the fresh sounds of blackness, Harrell made his mark with the conception of Uptown Records, a record label that would later birth the music careers of Sean “Diddy” Combs, Al B Sure, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Heavy D & The Boyz, Monifah, Soul for Real and more.
After hearing of the executive’s untimely death, a slew of artists who worked with Harrell or crossed paths with him headed to their designated social media accounts to honor the late great Andre Harrell.
“Why Andre,” tweeted Mariah Carey with tearful emojis. “My heart is breaking and I can’t stop crying. He was an amazing friend and I will miss him forever.”
“Pioneer, visionary, renaissance man… just a few adjectives that describe @andreharrell,” wrote Monifah in the caption of her Instagram post. “You’ve made an indelible mark on black music & culture.”
After revealing the news during his late-night Club Quarantine Instagram Live set, DJ Nice shared a post of Harrell writing, “Truly heartbroken. Rest peacefully, Andre Harrell.”
Late last year, it was announced that Harrell, 59, would partner with BET for a3-part miniseries based on the story of his Uptown Records label. No word on whether production has started not he film. It’s unclear the cause of death. Our hearts and prayers go out to his dear family and friend.
Scroll down below to read more reactions to Andre Harrell’s passing.
Why Andre 😢😢😢 My heart is breaking and I can’t stop crying. He was an amazing friend and I will miss him forever. 😢
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) May 9, 2020
“Bad Boy era. Rockafella era. It all comes from Uptown.”
Saluting Andre Harrell. The architect of so much music, so much culture.
Rest now. In power and peace. pic.twitter.com/rcmSeNNllV
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 9, 2020
Andre Harrell was a friend, a mentor, and an innovator. What a tragic loss. #RIP https://t.co/0nJqwQ62kf
— Reginald Hudlin (@reghud) May 9, 2020
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One of our elders. One of our pioneers. One of one. Rest in paradise @andreharrell 🙏🏾