8:23 p.m. (Pacific Time) — TMZ confirmed Jean’s death Wednesday, and we’ve confirmed the authenticity of the press release circulating on social media… which we’re told came from his family. His publicist also tells us that Jean died of natural causes.
RIP Jean Knight…we’ve all sung Mr. Big Stuff a time or two! pic.twitter.com/wgRECAHHBu
– LBJ📺📻 (@lbjnola) November 26, 2023
@lbjnola
Her family released a statement, which highlights her long career that began at JetStream Records and eventually jumped to Stax Records… and all the tracks she produced in between, ending with the creation of her own label (Comstar).
The statement concludes… “Jean Knight’s legacy is not just musical; it is a testament to the enduring love between an artist, her hometown and the fans who adored her. As we bid farewell to This iconic soulstress, New Orleans and her fans around the world unite to express their gratitude for the indelible mark she left on the world.” The family is seeking privacy at this time.
Jean Chevalier — most famous for his hit ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ – is dead…according to reports.
One not assigned Press release Claiming to be the soul singer and native of New Orleans, the obituary is making the rounds online – and if we are to believe… it says JK died last Wednesday, although the circumstances of her death are unclear for the moment.
Knight’s 1971 song is by far his greatest claim to fame, but it’s a huge contribution to music and pop culture. ‘Mr. Not only did Big Stuff perform incredibly well on the charts upon its release – including five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 – but it ended up being featured on numerous movies and TV shows.
Just a handful of shows using “MBS”… “Family Guy,” “black-ish,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Everwood” and “The Deuce” – just to name a few. On the cinema side, he was played in “Semi-Pro” by Will Ferrell. Beyond that…the track has been remixed/sampled a ton over the years.
Some of the notable artists who toppled this gem… Heavy D & The Boyz, Eazy-E, TLC, Queen Latifah, Everclear, Girl Talk, Beastie Boys and John Legend. ‘Mr. Big Stuff’ has also been covered several times… notably by Precious Metal, Lyn Collins and many others.
Jean had recorded many other songs throughout his career…but none ever achieved the success of “Big Stuff.” Some of his other notable singles… “My Toot Toot”, “You Think You’re Hot Stuff”, “Carry On”, “Helping Man”, “Do Me”, “Jesse Joe (You Got to Go)” … and more.
She was 80 years old.
RIP
Originally published at 6:19 p.m. PT
