Bernard Belle was a songwriter and producer who cowrote hits including Michael Jackson’s (1958–2009) “Remember the Time.”
- Died: June 23, 2022 (Who else died on June 23?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Atlanta of congestive heart failure at the age of 57.
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Musical career
Belle broke into the music business as a bassist for the Manhattans alongside his sister, singer Regina Belle, who was singing backing vocals before launching her solo career. He began cowriting songs for other artists in the late 1980s, scoring a hit with 1991’s “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)” for Hi-Five. Belle’s biggest success was Michael Jackson’s chart-topping 1992 single “Remember the Time,” and he cowrote other songs for Jackson, including “Privacy” and “Why You Wanna Trip on Me.” He cowrote the 1993 duet between Whitney Houston (1963–2012) and Bobby Brown, “Something in Common,” as well as other songs for Brown. Belle also composed songs for musicians including Patti LaBelle, Boy George, and the Winans, as well as producing records for artists including Al B. Sure and Keith Sweat. A collaborator with producer Teddy Riley, Belle was influential on the development of new jack swing. He was honored with awards including four Grammys and two Soul Train Awards.
Notable quote
“Usually, there are more people behind a hit than one would think. Maybe the producer or the artist will get a lot of the shine at the Grammy Awards or something when their name is announced, and the artist will go up and thank God and everybody else, but then won’t thank the writer, or the musicians. Personally, I enjoy seeing the writers, the musicians, and the background singers behind a project get the recognition they truly deserve; it needs to happen more often, because it doesn’t happen enough.” —from a 2003 interview for NJS4E
Tributes to Bernard Belle
Full obituary: The Hype
