When D’Wayne Wiggins, his younger brother Raphael Saddiq and their cousin Christian Riley came together to form the band Tony! Toni! Toné!, they had ambitions of becoming “the Black Police.” Instead, the band reminded its audience of the importance of instrumentation and organic musicality at a time when samples and beat machines permeated the New Jack Swing era of R&B. Wiggins, who was a guitarist and vocalist for the band, passed away last week after a brief battle with cancer. He was 64.
Wiggins’ family announced the singer/songwriter’s death on his social media channels on Friday, March 7.
“Over the past year, he has been privately and courageously battling bladder cancer,” a statement from the family read. “Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community.”
The announcement of his death came only a few days after a cryptic post revealed that Wiggins was experiencing “medical complications.”
A native of Oakland, California, Wiggins and his family formed their band in 1986. By 1988, they had a breakthrough hit with “Little Walter.” The song provided social commentary by humanizing the crack epidemic through the story told through its lyrics. It only took three albums – and several urban film soundtrack appearances – to fully solidify Tony! Toni! Toné! in R&B’s canon through classics such as “Whatever You Want,” “Anniversary,” “It Never Rains (in Southern California) and “Just Me and You.”
Their fourth album, 1996’s “House of Music” would be the last album they recorded together. But through staples within their catalog, Tony! Toni! Toné! has maintained their status as a treasured contributor to the R&B genre.
“D’Wayne’s life was incomparable, and his music and service impacted millions around the world, including in his hometown of Oakland, California,” the statement from his family continued. “He was deeply passionate about providing artist development and mentorship to emerging young musicians, helping to shape the early careers of many.”
Among them was a then unknown girl group by the name of Destiny’s Child.
“Beyoncé and I stayed on the phone late last night about Destiny’s Child’s time with D’Wayne in Oakland,” Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, said in her tribute to Wiggins on Instagram.
According to Knowles, he was the first to sign the group to a production deal. He then signed them to a record deal, produced their first album and got them signed to Columbia Records.
“He was so kind, so patient, so multi-talented and so generous,” Knowles said.