What happened to Robbie Pardlo? Former City High member passes away at 46
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Robbie Pardlo (Image via Instagram/@mr.pardlo)Robbie Pardlo died on July 17 while surrounded by his family members and loved ones in Willingboro, New Jersey. A representative of the singer confirmed the news of Pardlo’s passing to TMZ. Pardlo is survived by his wife, Anika Pardlo, and children. Lyric Pardlo and Chord-Andrew Pardlo.
Pardlo’s cause of death hasn’t been made public yet, and his family is preparing to host a memorial service for the R&B star. A source close to the family claims that the singer died after suffering complications from heart failure, due to which he was admitted to the hospital on July 15, according to Ice Cream Convos.
Robbie Pardlo’s music career, explored
Robbie Pardlo began his career in the music industry as the lead vocalist of R&B group City High, which also included singer-songwriter Ryan Toby and the singer Claudette Ortiz.
The group’s single, What Would You Do?, is from their debut album, City High, released in 2001. It was also included as part of the soundtrack of the 1999 film Life starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence as per Hot 97. The single, produced by Wyclef Jean, ended up becoming a hit when it peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
What Would You Do? was also nominated for a Grammy Award during the award show’s 44th edition in the category ‘Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.’ However, City High lost to Destiny Child’s Survivor.
City High produced another hit, Caramel, featuring Eve, which peaked at number 20 in Billboard Hot 200, as per The Sun.
Members of City High went their separate ways in 2003, and Pardlo went on to become a member of the R&B group First Take and performed alongside Whitney Houston and Lil Kim, as per TMZ.
About Robbie Pardlo’s struggles with addiction
Pardlo suffered from alcoholism, and his struggles were documented during an episode of the A&E series Intervention in 2010, in which Pardlo candidly confessed that the disbanding of City High led him into depression, which contributed to his alcoholism, as per the Daily Mail.
Representatives of the artist have not yet confirmed whether his death at age 46 is linked to his past struggles with addiction.
Robbie Pardlo’s brother, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo spoke about his brother’s televised intervention during an interview with NPR in 2018. Explaining the incident, Gregory said,
“So A&E's ‘Intervention’ is a reality television show that follows an individual who is suffering from alcoholism or an addiction of some sort to - on one track of the story is the following the suffering addict. The other track of the story is following the family that wants to rescue this loved one.”
Narrating how Robbie Pardlo’s intervention came about, Gregory added,
“And the two narratives meet in a staged intervention at which the suffering loved one is asked to either go to rehab, go into treatment or face the consequences of being exiled from the family. And, you know, there's a - in Robbie's case, there was a very expensive high-class rehab waiting for him in Malibu. And I think, you know, my mother really wanted to rescue him. That was genuine. But at the same time, that - the move to do it in such a public way I suspected had something to do with her wanting to rescue my brother's public life - his career as well.”
Gregory did go on to admit during the interview that Robbie Pardlo was doing better at the time.
TOPICS: Robbie Pardlo, City High, death