D’Wayne Wiggins, founding member of the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, has passed away at the age of 64.
The singer and guitarist’s family confirmed via a statement on social media that he died Friday morning (March 7) after a year-long battle with bladder cancer.
“With broken hearts, we share with you that our beloved D’Wayne passed away this morning surrounded by family and loved ones. Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer. Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community,” the Wiggins family said in an Instagram post that was shared on Tony! Toni! Toné!’s official page as well.
It continued, “D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California. He was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist, mentor and founding member of Tony! Toni! Tone! He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.”
The family requests “that you continue to respect our privacy. We mourn with you, and are deeply grateful for your love and support.”
On Wednesday (March 5), the Wiggins family released a statement confirming that D’Wayne was “experiencing medical complications” and was “working through it one day at a time.”
Wiggins co-founded Tony! Toni! Toné! with his brother Raphael Saadiq and cousin Timothy Christian Riley. The Oakland, California, based band released their debut album, Who?, in 1988 via Wing Records/Mercury Records. The album featured singles such as “Little Walter” and “Born Not To Know.” The former hit peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 1990, the band returned with their sophomore LP, The Revival, which featured signature hits like “Feels Good,” “Whatever You Want” and “It Never Rains (In Southern California).”
“Whatever You Want,” which Wiggins wrote and sang lead vocals for, was later sampled in songs by Kelly Price (“Soul of a Woman“), Meek Mill (“Whatever You Need” featuring Chris Brown) and more.
Carlos “Los Vegas” Thornton, who produced Price’s “Soul of a Woman,” told Rated R&B, “I always loved Tony! Toni! Toné!’s [“Whatever You Want”]. I sampled the guitars and put drums and stuff around it.”
Tony! Toni! Toné! issued their third album, Sons of Soul, in 1993. The project reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It included classics such as “Anniversary,” “(Lay Your Head On My) Pillow,” “If I Had No Loot” and “Slow Wine.”
The group’s last album, House of Music, arrived in 1996 and featured the lead single “Let’s Get Down.”
Regarding the album’s title, Wiggins told Billboard in a 1996 interview: “We title all our albums at the end of the project. We sat back and listened to everything, and it reminded us of this mom-and-pop store around our way in Oakland, so we named it House of Music.”
In 2000, Wiggins released his solo album, Eyes Never Lie, via Motown Records. The project included collaborations with Carlos Santana (“Move With Me”), Darius Rucker (“Music Is Power”) and Najee (“What’s Really Going On”).
In a 2023 interview with Vulture, Saadiq confirmed Tony! Toni! Toné! was back in the studio working on new music. “We definitely gonna do an album after this tour,” he said. “We’re working on it as we speak, in all these rooms.”
That fall, Tony! Toni! Toné! embarked on their reunion tour, dubbed as Raphael Saadiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Toné!: Just Me and You Tour.
Outside of Tony! Toni! Toné!, Wiggins played a vital role in shaping the early career of R&B group Destiny’s Child, previously known as Girl’s Tyme. Before they signed to Columbia Records, they were signed to Wiggins’ Grass Roots Entertainment.
Wiggins produced multiple songs on the group’s debut album, Destiny’s Child, including “Second Nature,” “Killing Time, “and “Birthday.”
Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father and the group’s former manager, went to social media to share his memories of Wiggins and Destiny’s Child.
“This is truly a loss! In 1995, I signed Destiny’s Child to D’Wayne Wiggins, who provided exceptional care during their early development. He guided Beyoncé in understanding the creative processes of songwriting and vocal production. What I admire most about D’Wayne is how he gracefully stepped aside as the ladies evolved and required a new creative direction, wishing them nothing but the best—a rarity in both our industry and life,” he wrote on Instagram.
Knowles added, “D’Wayne had such humility. We all can learn from him. Most of you have no idea of the journey of Destiny’s Child which has evolved to the solo careers of Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle and those who truly played a pivotal role. Look forward to me sharing the journey of Destiny’s Child.”
Further, Wiggins co-wrote and co-produced “Temptation” and “Sweet Sixteen” from the group’s sophomore album, The Writing’s On the Wall. He also co-wrote and co-produced “Fancy” from their third outing, Survivor, alongside Beyoncé and J.R. Rotem.
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