R&B crooner Gerald Levert

Father discusses loss of his famous son

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody
AP Music Writer

NEW YORK — Eddie Levert no longer breaks into uncontrollable tears over the loss of his son, R&B crooner Gerald Levert. But the tears still flow, and the pain still remains.

It's been three months since Gerald Levert, just 40 years old, was found dead at his Cleveland home. A recent autopsy found the fiery singer, best known for passionate love songs, died accidentally from a lethal mixture of over-the-counter medication and prescription drugs.

Levert's death not only silenced one of soul music's richest voices, it also ended the powerful relationship the younger Levert shared with his father. More best buddies than father and son, the duo recorded an album together, toured together, and even wrote a book together, due out later this year.

Levert's dedication to his son, however, remains, and he's working now to make sure Gerald's final project is heard. "In My Songs,” was recently released, and it's a collection of ballads that Gerald Levert was working on at the time of his death.

In an interview with The Associated Press, through laughter and tears, Eddie Levert talked about losing his son — and friend.

Levert's story

We had just came back from doing three dates in South Africa. It was a great trip for both of us, which was really the last time he was on stage. We were getting home, he was trying to make sure he put the finishing touches on this album and also we were working on a new album I was doing. Me and him had been working on this album for the last eight years. So we were working on that, we were working on a new father and son album; he was constantly in the studio.

His last few days were really hectic. While we were in South Africa he had gotten bitten by something on his back and while we were there we had gone to the hospital to get it checked out, and to see if it was anything there. About three days before he passed, he was complaining about he was wheezing, and he went to the doctor, and the doctor they took blood and they said (he was) fine, they sent him home, and he was at home and he had called me and we had talked on the phone.

He was upset a few things that had went down with one of our relatives, so he was ranting. And my son was very emotional, he would rant and rave and then I'd say, "OK, I'm not going to talk to him for a couple of days, and he'll be all right,” so when I call him back he would have calmed down, and we can talk about this rationally.

I waited the couple of days and they called me ... and told me that they were unable to wake him up and they were rushing him to the hospital to try and revive him. The next call that I got, they told me they couldn't wake him up and he had passed.

It's like putting off some things. You say well, "I've always got tomorrow.” You don't always have tomorrow, you don't always have the next five minutes. I still remember his last words to me, when I talked to him after he had went to the doctor, he says, "Dad, I'm going to go to the doctor and I want you to call me when I get back home this evening. You're gonna call me, right?” I said, "Yeah, I'm gonna call you this evening.” (But) I said I'm gonna give him a few days to calm down because I don't like talking to him when he was that upset, and I didn't call him, and I never talked to him again after that. And I have to live with that, and I live with that every day, that I didn't call him, and I hurt because of that.

I just want to say to people no matter what's going on, no matter how hard it is for you, you should communicate with the people that you love every day that you possibly can, if it's no more than hello, if it's no more than to just to say goodnight. I wish I would have called.