Wilbert Hart, a soul musician, is currently mourning the loss of his beloved brother, William Hart, who passed away Thursday at the age of 77.
When Delfonics fans on Facebook heard their favorite singer had died, they took to the internet to show how sad they were.
One proponent said: “Without The Delfonics, there would not have been Blue Magic, Stylistics, or any other successful ballad band (particularly those with a dominant falsetto lead singer) in the early 1970s.” William Hart passed away and is now with Major Harris and Randy Cain.”
Before that, Wilbert Hart was the only surviving original member, although the group has continued in many different ways.
Where is Wilbert Hart from the Delfonics now?
Wilbert Hart and his wife, Sheila, currently reside in Willingboro, New Jersey. In addition to their 12 children, the couple also has 34 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
On the other hand, he’s still working into 2020 while continuing to tour and perform with his modern day band, Wil Hart & The Delfonics.
In 2013, Hart appeared in the episode “The Story of The Delfonics” of the TVOne show Unsung.
He also starred in the 2018 documentary Mr. Soul! which followed the career of television and theater producer and radio star Ellis Haizlip.
The original member of the group is William Poogie Hart Brother
William and his brother Wilbert formed the Delfonics in 1965. William was the group’s main songwriter and often collaborated with Thom Bell.
Between 1968 and 1974, Philly Groove Records released a number of fine The Delfonics singles. These included “La-La- (Means I Love You)”, “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” and “Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love)”, which all originated there on the Billboard R&B and pop charts.
The group also took part in the first-ever live televised Grammy Awards show in 1971, where they won the award for Best R&B Performance.
The song “Didn’t I (Blow My Mind This Time)” also earned the group a gold record in 1971.
The soul singer grew up in a ten-family household
Wilbert Hart was born and raised with his family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the eighth child of Wilson and Iretha Hart and the seventh son.
He also attended Overbrook High School and public schools in Philadelphia. While there he and his older brother William sang in different groups.
After the loss of a loved one, the family goes through a difficult time. We hope the Hart family has the strength to deal with his pain.
William Hart’s death is mourned by Wilbert Hart
Hart’s brother died Thursday at a Philadelphia hospital from complications related to surgery. He was 77 years old.
Wilbert Hart, one of the band’s founding members, confirmed William’s death, writing on Facebook, “RIP My Brother William Poogie Delfonics Hart.”
His son Hadi also said William was struggling to breathe and had just been rushed to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he died unexpectedly on Thursday of post-surgery problems.
Hart, nicknamed “Poogie” by fans and friends, was one of the band’s early members and wrote most of their songs.
Also, people thought he had one of the cleanest falsettos in Philadelphia soul music of the late 1960s and early 1970s.