Pictures From Gerald Levert's Service

CLEVELAND -- Thousands of fans — mostly women — screamed and cheered at the action happening onstage inside Public Hall in the Cleveland Convention Center. This was nothing out of the ordinary for a Gerald Levert concert. Cell phones waved side-to-side, illuminating the dimly lit concert hall, and a live band jammed onstage, at times playing the instrumentals of ’80s and ’90s hits that defined Levert as an R&B singer. The only thing missing was Gerald Levert.

A week after Levert died at age 40 of what likely was a heart condition, fans and a host of celebrity friends gathered to celebrate his life in his hometown.

Some of the biggest names in urban music were there, including Jermaine Dupri, Usher, Christopher Williams, Johnny Gill, Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown, Angela Winbush, Yolanda Adams, Kelly Price and Stevie Wonder. So were entertainers like Tyler Perry, Kym Whytley, former Detroiter Donnie Simpson and even Omarosa from NBC’s “The Apprentice.” Other well-known faces included Detroit-born newsman Ed Gordon, Detroit Judge Greg Mathis and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick.

They — and thousands of family, friends and fans — all came out to pay homage to the man who crafted some of R&B’s best pop tunes in the late ’80s and early ’90s. “We are certainly entitled to mourn the loss of our great brother,” said Mathis, who delivered the eulogy. “I know we will all miss him. But somehow I believe Gerald would want us to celebrate his life. So I’ll ask now if each and every one of us will stand and celebrate for one moment the great life of Gerald Levert.” The crowd leaped to its feet, whooping, hollering and cheering for the musician who sold millions of albums in his 20-year career and made his name with the R&B-soul group LeVert and by writing and producing music for artists including the Winans, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass and Patti LaBelle.

The service was sprinkled with musical performances, including one by Men At Large, which had a fitting R&B hit in the ’90s called “So Alone.”

At times, it was difficult for people to speak or sing through the tears during the three-hour-plus service. Wonder, who sat at a piano and sang, at times holding Eddie Levert Sr.’s hand, said he was stuck on the tarmac for more than five hours and his luggage was lost, but nothing would have prevented him from honoring Gerald Levert and being there for his father.

“It wouldn’t have mattered where I was or what corner of the world I was in, I would have been here for my brother,” said singer Brian McKnight. When I came here, I expected to mourn,” said Usher. “I expected this to be a hard experience. I cried. But I cried tears of joy.”

Singer Johnny Gill recorded with Levert and Keith Sweat in the group LSG. “The reason why there’s so many people in here showing so much love is because if there was one word to describe Gerald, it’s ‘real.’ He would tell you the truth and didn’t care what you’d think about it,” Gill said. “Pops said to me last night: ‘John, man, listen man, all these slow songs. … We got to do something to party. My son liked to party. This is no funeral. This is a celebration. We’ve got to do something to show these people that my son also lived.” Gill and Sweat broke into a medley of Levert’s biggest hits, singing “Cassanova” and “Baby, I’m Ready.” His brother Sean and father joined in.

Former Detroiter Donnie Simpson, who spent the ’80s and the ’90s hosting BET’s “Video Soul” music video program, was a good friend of the Levert family. “Y’all know how to send a brotha off, Cleveland,” he said, “I’m a Midwest boy. I’m from up the road in Detroit. But they may have to bring me here to send me off!” The program concluded with Sean and Eddie Levert Sr. singing an emotional rendition of Luther Vandross’ “Dance with My Father