June is Black Music History Month

BALTIMORE, MD — June is nationally recognized as Black Music
Month (also known as African American Music Appreciation Month) in
the United States.

This month is dedicated to celebrating the rich history and profound
influence of Black musicians and their contributions to American music
and culture. It was initially proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter in
1979 and has been celebrated annually with presidential proclamations
for the past 46 years.

For June 2025, Black Music History month is significant primarily by
the deaths of three major African-American musician-related
personalities.

On June 3, Wayne Lewis, the lead singer and founder of soul vocal
group, Atlantic Starr, died at age 68. Cause of death was not reported,
but his brother Jonathan Lewis, said Wayne was running on a treadmill
at a local gym, when he collapsed and transported by emergency
officials where he was pronounced dead in his native White Plains, N.Y.

On June 9, iconic ‘60s bandleader/composer, Sylvester Stewart aka
Sly Stone, passed away in his native San Francisco, at age 82 – cause of
death was listed as COPD, or chronic lung failure.

On June 11, former Black Entertainment Televison & MTV
personality, Ananda Lewis, died at age 52 of reported breast cancer.
Those three major deaths rocked the black music industry to its core in
June 2025. Both Lewis deaths (no family relations), were unexpected
and shocked many of their fans.

Though he wasn’t African-American, the music industry was also
rocked by the unexpected death of music legend, Brian Wilson, founder
of the 1960s surf band, the Beach Boys. Wilson, also 82 like Sly, died
on June 11.

In other major Black-related entertainment news for June 2025, media
mogul Byron Allen, settled a $10 billion discrimination law suit with
McDonald’s. Allen had accused the fast-food giant of ‘racial
stereotyping by excluding black-owned media from its advertising
budget.

MORE JUNE TIDBITS: Prince Rogers Nelson, was born June 7,
1958. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009. He was born Aug. 29,
1958. He was 50 when he died. Prince was 57, when he died April 16, 2016.