O'Jays singer Eddie Levert's youngest child Ryan dies at 22, years after brothers' deaths

Ryan Levert, the youngest child of O’Jays lead vocalist Eddie Levert, has died. She was 22.

LeMicah Levert and Carlysia Levert, grandchildren of Eddie Levert, confirmed Ryan’s death this week on Instagram. They are the children of Gerald Levert, Eddie’s late first son. “Whenever you don’t answer the phone I knew something was wrong and now I’m going to have that feeling forever,” LeMicah captioned an Instagram tribute to his late aunt.

“I love you @missryanlevert! I wasn’t prepared for this,” he added.

Carlysia remembered Ryan by posting a photo of her aunt accompanied by purple heart and dove emojis to her Instagram story. Neither of the social media posts revealed further information about Ryan’s death, including a cause of death. According to her Instagram biography, Ryan had been battling lupus.

A representative for Eddie Lavert, 82, did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Ryan died nearly 20 years after her older brother Gerald died in November 2006 of a heart attack. He was 40. Sean Levert, the O’Jays singer’s second son, died in April 2008 after falling ill while carrying out a jail sentence in Cleveland. He was 39.

Ryan was born in March 2002 and is the daughter of Eddie and his wife Raquel. She often shared her personal life with followers on Instagram, posting pictures of sweet moments with her father and videos of memorable moments, including her 21st birthday celebration in 2023. In her final Instagram post, Ryan looked forward to 2024.

“Happy 2024,” she captioned photos from a chic photo shoot, “praying for good health, more love, and more laughter.”