Rico Wade’s Family Announces Invitation Only Funeral Service

Dungeon Family founder Rico Wade will be eulogized in a private funeral for family and close friends on Friday (April 26). The event will take place at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and is invitation only. While the service is private, the media is invited to cover the attendees’ arrivals as 68 members of Clark Atlanta’s band perform hits produced by Organized Noize outside of the church. A much larger celebration of life for the late Organized Noize legend is expected in the coming weeks.

Rico Wade died unexpectedly on April 12 at the age of 52. Although he’d experienced some recent health issues, including a heart value repair, he was seemingly on the road to recovery. Just months ago, he spoke with AllHipHop about seeing Andrê 3000 perform his latest album, New Blue Sun, and touched on what he’d been going through.

“My heart had ruptured a valve and it was dripping, and they just rerouted it,” he told AllHipHop in March. “I have heart conditions on my father’s side. I didn’t really know it. On my mom’s side, she’s got alcoholism. A lot of the Outkast success was great, but after that, I got into a little bit of a depression or whatever, so I was drinking a little bit more than I was supposed to. And I was doing it over 10, 15 years. And eventually, I couldn’t blame anything else for the negative in my life so I cut it out. I feel like I’m so much more clear and confident, and that’s the person that I want to be for the past 20 years.”

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The surviving members of Organized Noize—Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray—released a statement shortly after Wade’s passing. It read: “We are devastated by the news of the passing of our dear brother Rico Wade. The world has lost one of the most innovative architects in music, and we have lost an invaluable friend. Rico was the cornerstone of Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family, and we will forever treasure his memory and the moments we shared, creating music as a united team.

“Our hearts weigh heavy with sorrow, and we kindly request privacy and empathy during this challenging period. Rico’s presence will always have a special spot in our hearts, and in the music we presented to the world.”