Robbie Pardlo, one of the lead vocalists who powered the Grammy-nominated R&B group City High in the 2000s, died on July 17 in Willingboro, New Jersey, surrounded by his friends and family at the age of 46.
According to TMZ, a representative for Pardlo confirmed to the outlet that the news of the singer’s death is legitimate. At the time of writing, no cause of death has yet been identified as his family is currently mourning his loss and making memorial and tribute arrangements.
Claudette Ortiz, Pardlo, and Ryan Toby, the members
of City High, achieved breakout success after their first single, “What Would You Do?” from the group’s debut and only album, 2001’s “City High,” gained massive airplay on radio stations across the country.The group followed this effort up with another hit, “Caramel,” which featured the First Lady of The Ruff Ryders, Eve, all of which garnered the group a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group in 2002.
According to NJ.com, all three members of the group were natives of Willingboro and graduates of Willingboro High School.
City High was originally signed through Wyclef Jean’s Interscope subsidiary, Booga Basement, which he operated in conjunction with his cousin, producer Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis. The pair produced “What Would You Do?” a song that discussed themes of poverty, sex work, drugs, and child sexual abuse.Following the dissolution of City High in 2003, Pardlo joined another R&B group, a quartet called First Take, during which time he collaborated with legendary acts like Whitney Houston, whom he and his groupmate, Toby, also sang backup for before forming City High, and Lil Kim.
On
social media, after news of Pardlo’s death began to spread, so did the tributes to him, and some recalled Pardlo’s appearance on the A&E program “Intervention,” a show where loved ones stage an intervention in hopes of redirecting a person away from addiction.On the show, Pardlo and others chronicled his battle with alcohol addiction and abuse. Following the episode, as Billboard reported in 2010, Pardlo responded positively to the efforts of his family and decided to go on a journey of sobriety.
Pardlo is survived by his wife, Anika Pardlo, his children Lyric and Chord-Andrew Pardlo, his mother, Marion Pardlo, his brother, writer and poet Gregory Pardlo, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2015 for his book “Digest,” and his aunt, Cynthia Boyer.
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