Grammy-nominated Brooklyn native John Forté has died suddenly at age 50. The recording artist and producer, best known for his work with the Fugees and as a member of the collective Refugee Camp All-Stars, was found dead Monday afternoon at his home in Chilmark, Mass., police confirmed on Tuesday. Law enforcement didn’t provide a cause of death, but said there were no signs of foul play. Family friends confirmed to the Martha’s Vineyard Times that Forté was hospitalized a year ago after suffering a seizure and had since been taking medication to control the threat of a grand mal seizure. His death is being investigated by the state’s medical examiner. Born on Jan. 30, 1975, Forté grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn and studied classical violin. He attended New York University as a music business major but eventually dropped out to work at Rawkus Records. In the early 1990s, he was introduced to The Fugees by Lauryn Hill and went on to co-write and produce several songs for their multi-platinum 1996 album “The Score,” for which he earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The rapper and instrumentalist also worked on Wyclef Jean’s “The Carnival” before later releasing a handful of his own solo albums, including “Poly Sci” in 1998, “I, John” in 2002 and 2021’s “Vessels, Angels and Ancestors.” Jean honored his former collaborator on Instagram Tuesday. “This one hurts,” he captioned a video clip of the pair performing together. “My brother @john_forte has joined the Angels. Legends never die … RIP my Refugee brother.” In 2000, Forté’s career took a dramatic turn when he was arrested at Newark Liberty Airport after being caught carrying suitcases containing $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on possession and drug trafficking charges, but had that term cut in half by a 2008 commutation granted by President George W. Bush. Forté explained in a 2020 UPROXX interview that disappointing sales numbers for “Poly Sci” led to a falling out with his record label and ultimately to him getting involved with the wrong people. “Time stood still that day,” he recalled of his arrest. Singer Carly Simon, who performed a duet with Forté on “I, John,” became a close ally and lobbied for his release from incarceration, believing he did not receive a fair trial. Forté is survived by his photographer wife, Lara Fuller, and their two children, daughter Wren, 8, and son Haile, 5. According to the Martha’s Vineyard Times, Forté first visited the island in 1998 and fell in love with the community. He moved there a decade ago and met Fuller, whom he later married in 2017. With News Wire Services  ...read more read less