Gospel singer Troy Sneed is the latest musician to succumb to the coronavirus. Per NBC News, Sneed passed away due to complications from the illness at a hospital in Jacksonville, Fla. on Monday. The artist was just 52-years-old.
Sneed began his gospel career traveling across the country with the Georgia Mass Choir where he helped arrange the music on the choir’s albums. Through this opportunity, he formed Youth For Christ, a gospel choir composed of singers from the Georgia Mass Choir ranging from ages 12 to 18. Sneed’s gospel talents also landed him on Hollywood’s radar, appearing with the Georgia Mass Choir in the 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife, which starred Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington.
During his time as a solo star, Sneed released seven albums and a plethora of songs, including “Work It Out” and “My Heart Says Yes,” which both peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Gospel chart in 2008 and 2011, respectively. In 2006, Youth For Christ’s album The Struggle Is Over landed atop Billboard’s Gospel album chart where he served as its producer. In addition, Sneed earned a 1999 Grammy nomination for his work on the Youth For Christ album, Higher.
Sneed and his wife of nearly 27 years, Emily, began their own record label Emtro in the early 2000s, whose roster includes gospel stars such as Alvin Darling & Celebration and Rev. Rudolph McKissick.
“The Gospel community has lost a superb talent in Troy Sneed,” gospel artist Kurt Carr wrote on Facebook in response to the news, while Virginia gospel radio host Reggie Baker wrote: “[Sneed] was a great guy and gave us some great music.”
Our thoughts go out to Sneed’s family and friends during this difficult time.