Andre Harrell Laid To Rest In New Jersey [VIDEO]

Andre Harrell Laid To Rest In New Jersey

On May 7, 2020, the music industry lost one of its great pioneers, Andre Harrell, from heart failure.  He was celebrated amongst many of his long-time industry friends and family members during Memorial Day Weekend at Vander Plaat-Caggiano Funeral Home in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  Attendees included LA Reid, Chris Rock, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and many others.

Russell Simmons, who had been a long-time colleague and best friend of Andre Harrell, posted a clip to his social media of behind-the-scenes footage of the musical giant’s funeral.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlNEM3psB0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

His caption didn’t require much.  A simple statement:

“Andre’s funeral!”

Cars, trucks, and loved ones lined the streets of the funeral home in the rain.  Someone can be heard in the background of the video saying,

“We gotta turn the volume up.”

The song playing in the background was “Before I Let Go” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.

Russell Simmons posted upon the news of Harrell’s passing:

This wasn’t the only celebration to say farewell to Andre Harrell.  His loving son, Gianni Harrell, and Gianni’s mother, Wendy Credle, also posted showing their love with photos and videos.  Wendy Credle, who posted a video of she and her son, Gianni dancing together in good spirits, thanked everyone for their love and support.  She writes,

“We gonna be alright. We have the most magical of magic carpets for the rest of our ride. Thank you everyone for your love and support. It has meant everything to us. We love you and his love lives forever inside of all of us. Om Namah Shivaya #celebratingandreharrell”

Babyface paid tribute shortly after his passing.

Andre Harrell’s mentee, Sean “Diddy” Combs, had many sentimental words for him as well.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAEC-t1H1we/?utm_source=ig_embed

BET aired a special salute to Andre Harrell Sunday (May 24). The event was executive produced by his son and wife.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlyaHVDz9q/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The network is also moving forward with a miniseries. BET President Scott Mills said,

“We are mourning the loss of a cultural icon, Andre Harrell, a chief architect of the modern hip-hop and R&B sound. Andre was tremendously excited about sharing the origin story of Uptown Records, and its pivotal role in the urban music landscape. With his tragic passing, BET is committed to ensuring that the Uptown limited series event tells both the Uptown story and Andre’s story — that of the incredible music innovator, man and friend to so many.”

Prayers for Andre Harrell’s family, friends, and loved ones!

Authored by: Robin Ayers