Editor’s note: The original September 2022 version of this article was lost. The Lee Daily Register rebuilt it in October 2026 from the reporting cited below, and added what we found afterward. The original version said Powell died of a heart attack. His family did not give a cause of death, and we found no credible report of one, so that claim has been removed.
Almost two weeks after R&B singer Jesse Powell died, his family has not made public what caused his death.
Powell, 51, died at his home in Los Angeles, according to a family statement that his sister Tamara Powell wrote on Instagram, Entertainment Tonight reported. The statement, issued on Tuesday, Sept. 13, said he died peacefully, and TODAY noted that no cause of death had been released. The family asked for privacy and had given no further details, Entertainment Tonight said. TheWrap added that, according to Tamara Powell, he died one day after his 51st birthday.
Tamara Powell described her brother in a tribute post as one of the best male R&B vocalists and as the best big brother ever, according to TheWrap.
The song people remember
Powell’s best-known record is “You,” which TheWrap and Entertainment Tonight place on his second album, “‘Bout It.” (Some outlets said it came from his debut; we followed the two that name the album.) The single was his first top-10 hit, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B chart, TheWrap reported, which also said he earned a Grammy nomination. “‘Bout It” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1999, according to TODAY and The Independent.
By the time of his death, “You” had nearly 13 million streams on Spotify and 24 million views on YouTube, TODAY noted.
From Gary, Indiana, to four albums
Powell was born in Gary, Indiana, in 1971. His family later moved to Los Angeles to support the music careers of Jesse and his sisters, TODAY reported. His sisters Trina and Tamara are also recording artists, The Independent noted.
Producer Carl Roland began working with him in 1993, and music executive Louil Silas later signed him to Silas Records, according to TheWrap. He released his self-titled debut in 1996, followed by “‘Bout It,” then “JP” in 2001 and “Jesse” in 2003, Entertainment Tonight reported.
What happened next
Some websites have since claimed that Powell died of a heart attack or cardiac arrest. None of those we checked pointed to a statement from his family, a coroner’s finding, or a report from an established news organization. As of October 2026, we had found no public statement from Powell’s family or from officials giving a cause of death.
