At 82, EDDIE LEVERT Reveals DARK SECRETS From ‘The O’Jays | HO

Frank Little Jr. joined The O’Jays in the early 1970s, playing guitar during a formative period of the group’s evolution. While he wasn’t part of their classic lineup, his contributions helped shape their early sound. Frank wasn’t just a bandmate; he was a friend, a brother, and a vital piece of their musical family.

But Frank’s journey with The O’Jays was abruptly and mysteriously cut short when he disappeared without a trace.

Eddie Levert, the legendary frontman of the iconic R&B group The O’Jays, has lived a life marked by both immense success and heartbreaking loss.

At 82 years old, Eddie has not only been a witness to the highs and lows of the music industry but also to personal tragedies that have shaped his journey. In recent interviews, Eddie has begun to reveal some of the darker, more painful aspects of his life, shedding light on long-hidden secrets and the emotional toll the music business has taken on him.

Born in 1942 in Bessemer, Alabama, Eddie’s early life was defined by music. He and his high school friends, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massie, and Bill Isles, formed a group called The Triumphs, which eventually became The O’Jays in the late 1950s. The group found early success, but their journey to stardom was fraught with challenges, including financial struggles and unfair treatment by record labels and managers. Despite their incredible talent, they were often tricked into signing bad deals, leaving them with little to show for their hard work.

One of the darkest chapters in The O’Jays’ history was the mysterious disappearance of their guitarist, Frank “Frankie” Little Jr., in the 1970s. Frankie was a friend and a key part of the group’s early sound. His sudden and unexplained vanishing sent shockwaves through the band, and for nearly four decades, the mystery of his fate remained unsolved.

In 2019, advances in forensic science and DNA technology finally led to the identification of his remains, which had been discovered in a garbage bag in Twinsburg, Ohio. The revelation that Frankie had been murdered was devastating for Eddie and his bandmates, reopening old wounds and forcing Eddie to confront the brutal reality of his friend’s untimely death.

But the tragedy didn’t end there for Eddie. Throughout his life, he has faced personal losses that most people could never fathom. His two sons, Gerald and Shawn, both followed in his musical footsteps, forming the successful group LeVert. However, the joy of seeing his children achieve their dreams was overshadowed by unimaginable grief.

In 2006, Gerald tragically passed away at the age of 40 due to a prescription medication overdose, and just two years later, Shawn died in jail after a medical emergency that raised serious questions about the care he received while incarcerated. Eddie has spoken candidly about the pain of outliving his children, describing it as an unbearable weight that has never fully lifted.

The devastation continued in 2025 when Eddie’s youngest daughter, Ryan, passed away from lupus at the age of 22. With each loss, Eddie has been forced to grapple with a profound sense of grief and loss, yet he continues to find strength in his music. His powerful voice has inspired generations, and he has used his platform to honor the memories of those he’s lost, pouring his heartache into his music.

Despite the struggles, Eddie has remained resilient, never giving up on his craft, and continues to perform at the age of 82, keeping The O’Jays’ music alive for new generations.

Eddie Levert’s journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, the unbreakable bond of family, and the healing power of music. Through every tragedy, he has emerged stronger, and his story serves as an inspiration to all who face hardship and loss. Eddie’s life is a reminder that, even in the face of darkness, the human spirit can endure, and the music lives on.

The O’Jays’ Eddie Levert Talks Trump Using His Music & Posing for Pics With Kanye West

The O’Jays and Donald Trump were willing bedfellows in the past for, well, the love of money. But that doesn’t make the long-lived R&B vocal group fans of the Trump presidency.

The O’Jays’ 1974 Philadelphia International hit “For The Love Of Money” was famously the theme song for Trump’s hit reality series The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice. “I made a nice buck with Donald Trump from using ‘For The Love Of Money,’” co-founder Eddie Levert tells Billboard. “He’s not a bad paymaster. His check cleared.” But earlier this year Levert and his fellow O’Jays asked Trump to stop using their 1972 single “Love Train” at his presidential campaign rallies, which drew a bit of ire from the now President-elect’s camp.

“They got on me about it, said I got enough money from him so now I can kick dirt in his face,” Levert recalls. “But I have a right to like what I like. I have the right to pick the people I want to follow and want to be associated with. I’m for change, but I don’t think [Trump] is the guy who will take us to the change he was talking about. All I hear from him is ‘we’re gonna build a wall’ and ‘Hillary Clinton is a crook.’ What the hell? I never hear anything about how we’re gonna make America great again, just that we are.

“I wish him the best, but I don’t think he’s the man to run our country. So when he started using ‘Love Train,’ I called him up and told them, ‘Listen, man, I don’t believe in what you’re doing. I’m not with you. I don’t want you to use my voice. I’m not condoning what you’re doing.”

Even tough Trump “did not take that well,” the O’Jays managed not to become a Twitter target from Trump’s famously acidic fingertips.

“Maybe I’m not big enough to be tweeted about,” Levert quips. “He can be seen with Kanye West. I know how people are. You’d rather be seen with Snoop Dogg instead of Eddie Levert. I’m not bad-rapping those guys, but what about the people who are not in the club, who are just trying to be citizens and good people that are part of the world. There’s nothing for us, right?”

Like many, Levert was disappointed by the disparity between Trump’s Electoral College victory and the popular vote, which Clinton won by more than 2.8 million votes. And he was disturbed by some of the rhetoric he heard from Trump’s supporters during, and since, the campaign. “His followers were like…they were racist!” Levert notes. “Everybody has the right to like and dislike what they want, but all of these people were just blatant out and out crazy, and then you ask them, ‘Why are you following Donald Trump?’ and they’d say some shit like ‘he has a TV show.’ That’s why you follow him? What the fuck are you talking about?!”

Trump’s ascendance hasn’t stopped the O’Jays from performing “For The Love Of Money” — “You can’t stop me from doing THAT song,” Levert says — but the group is hoping to add to its catalog during 2017. “We’re not that far along yet. We’re still picking the material, and then we’re debating on producers,” Levert reports. We really would love to get Ron Fair and Gamble & Huff involved in it. We feel like we’ve had great success with the two of them, so we’re still working on getting the components together. We hope to have it done by the time summer comes.”