In January 2026, tragedy struck for Ms. Lauryn Hill as one of her close friends and collaborators, John Forté, passed away at 50. In a January 15 Instagram post, she shared a lengthy tribute reminiscing on their friendship over the years. “I can’t remember the exact moment I met John Forte or Forte as we used to call him. But I know we became fast friends very soon after. I loved him, my family loved him,” she wrote.
“I remember meeting his mom with her sweet voice for the first time and walking New York City streets with him in full youthful fascination mode. Our generation of hip hop was young and at the ascent of its epic rise,” Lauryn Hill continued. “We were both there…participating and taking it all in, full of excitement and possibility.”
Then Hill eulogized Forté as a man and an artist alike. Eventually, she folded her relationship with him into her time with the Fugees. John Forté became a member of the Refugee Camp All-Stars and contributed to the classic Fugees album The Score. Most notably, he produced the timeless track “Fu-Gee-La”.
Lauryn Hill Mourns The Loss of Close Friend John Forté
“Forte was a gentleman and a scholar with a strong pen, deep soul, and kind heart. Part Brownsville, part prep-school. He had access to a way of expressing himself with a vocabulary and fluency that was very unique for the time. John was a gentle soul beneath all of his Brownsville chanting. I wish we’d had the opportunity to embrace that even more back then,” Lauryn Hill said
“Contributing bars, beats, and that beautiful smile. I remember that summer like a movie. Me, Forte, Chuck, and Edwin were everywhere in NYC, in love with hip hop, where it was going, and where it could go,” Ms. Lauryn Hill added. “We were all inseparable that summer, music and fashion connoisseurs, outside—figuring out the best ways to communicate our particular consciousnesses within that musical landscape.”
By the end of the post, the “Doo Wop (That Thing)” singer/rapper admitted she hadn’t seen John Forté in a long time. Still, she remembers the way he took the stage and performed. Moreover, she mourns losing a friend and a family losing a son and father.
“I hadn’t seen John in years before the last Mised-Fugees Tour, but he stepped on stage like no time had passed at all,” Lauryn Hill concluded. “We were in contact only a few weeks ago. This loss is unexpected and surreal and my heart aches… for his family, for his wife, for his children, for his friends, and for all of us who were blessed to know him. I Love you John. Rest in peace gentle King.”
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