R&B songstress Angela Bofill, whose hits include “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “I Try,” and “Angel of the Night,” she died Thursday morning at her daughter’s home in Vallejo, California. A rep confirmed the news to PEOPLE. She was 70.
The announcement came via her official Facebook account. “On behalf of my dear friend Angie, I am saddened to announce her passing on the morning of June 13. The funeral will be held at St. Dominicks Church in Valejo CA on June 28 at 1:00PM,” the statement read. Her longtime manager, Rich Engel, followed it up with a confirmation on her Facebook account.
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Viola Davis paid tribute to the singer in a post to Instagram. “Loved your voice! Rest well Ms. Angela Bofill,” she captioned a black and white photo of the late singer. Taraji P. Henson commented on Davis’ post, writing, “MY GOD I just spoke about her a few weeks ago!!! RIP BEAUTIFUL SILKY SOUL SINGER … I’m about to vibe out. Rest well Queen.”
In a December 2020 interview with Essence Magazine, Bofill opened up about her life and career. Death rumors surfaced months before. She joked about finding out about the death hoax after she received “a lot of calls confirming [if] it’s true.” She said: “Friends calling up, ‘Oh my God, am I talking to the ghost of Angela Bofill?’ Thank God it’s not true,” she told the outlet. Despite the hoax, she says she was appreciative of the outputting of support online. “You always must welcome love. I figured, ‘They really like me!’ [I’m just] laughing at it, really. It’s better to have a sense of humor,” she said.
Bofill suffered two strokes, one in 2006 and another a year later. But she remained committed to living long enough to see her grandchildren graduate from college.
Speaking with The Denver Post about complications from her stroke, such as learning to walk again and her voice not being quite the same, Bofill was optimistic: “But my voice no sing. I rather not sing. Awful. Crack me up! Funny! I laugh about it. But very grateful — still living. Never take things for granted.”
