John Forté, a Grammy-nominated recording artist and father of two, died suddenly at his home in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard. He was 50.
Chilmark Police confirmed his death on Monday and said the cause has not yet been officially determined. Authorities stated that no foul play is suspected.
What Police Have Said
Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin said a neighbor discovered Forté alone on the kitchen floor of his Hewing Field home and called emergency services at 2:25 p.m. Officers arrived minutes later and found him unresponsive and not breathing. Forté was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police reiterated that there were no signs of foul play. His body was later removed by Chapman’s Funeral Home.
A Life Rooted in Music and Community
Forté was widely known within Martha’s Vineyard’s music community and was remembered as generous, empathetic, and exceptionally talented. He first visited the island in 1998 at the invitation of fellow musician Ben Taylor and settled there permanently about a decade later.
He met freelance photographer Lara Fuller, who became his wife, and the couple had two children, Wren, 10, and Hale, 7.
Collaborations and Creative Work
Forté built a recording studio in the basement of the Hewing Field home of close friends Gogo Ferguson and David Sayre, which became a regular gathering place for musicians. He frequently collaborated and performed with artists including Carly Simon, Ben Taylor, and songwriter Peter More.
Most recently, Forté and More collaborated on the score for the documentary Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation, which explores the life and influence of writer Jack Kerouac.
Recent Projects and Legacy
In 2024, Forté completed work on the score for a six-part HBO series reviving Eyes on the Prize, the landmark documentary examining the Black experience in America following the Civil Rights era.
His sudden death has prompted an outpouring of grief across the music community, particularly on Martha’s Vineyard, where friends and collaborators described him as a unifying presence whose home and studio brought people together through music.
