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Angela Bofill, popularly known for songs such as Time to Say Goodbye, This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, I Try and Angel of the Night, died at the age of 70. Speaking to PEOPLE, a representative of Bofill confirmed that she passed on Thursday morning in her daughter’s home in Vallejo, California.
Angela Bofill was an active musical artist during the R&B music period of the 1970s and 1980s, and she displayed both great vocal strength and genuine emotion. She remained in the industry for several decades, and while in service, she was awarded multiple times and loved by fans. The actual cause of her death has not been officially revealed as of this writing.
News of her passing was shared on Bofill's official Facebook page in two heartfelt posts on Friday. The first post stated,
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"ON BEHALF OF MY DEAR FRIEND ANGIE, I AM SADDENED TO ANNOUNCE HER PASSING ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 13TH."
The post also noted that the funeral arrangements include a service at St. Dominick’s Church in California, scheduled for June 28th at 1 p.m. This announcement was meant to inform her fans and provide details about the upcoming service.
A follow-up message aimed to clarify any confusion surrounding the initial announcement. It read,
"JUST TO CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION. ON BEHALF OF SHAUNA BOFILL, HUSBAND CHRIS PORTUGUESE, WE ARE SADDENED BUT MUST REPORT THAT THE PASSING OF ANGELA YESTERDAY IS INDEED TRUE."
This note was signed by her friend and manager, Rich Engel.
The life and legacy of Angela Bofill
Angela Tomasa Bofill, one of the first artists of the R&B genre, was born on May 2, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. She was a Cuban-Puerto Rican woman, with her father being Cuban and her mother being of Puerto Rican origin. During her teenage years, Bofill sang for a group known as the All City Chorus in New York City, which was comprised of the best singers in high schools across five boroughs within New York City.
Angela Bofill’s professional career was initiated in the early 1970s, when she was still in her teenage years. She had listened to Latin music and black artists while growing up, and this has helped her to develop her style. She then went to the Manhattan School of Music to further her music education, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1976.
Angela Bofill's first album Angie released in 1978 consisted of This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, a No.1 on the charts, and Under the Moon and Over the Sky, a jazz song, amongst others. In the next year, she came up with her second album, Angel of the Night, which featured What I Wouldn’t Do (For the Love of You) and I Try, among other popular songs. These early hits helped carve Bofill’s place as one of the first Latinas to crossover into R&B and Jazz.
In her musical career, Angela Bofill recorded ten studio albums, and made contributions to backing vocals for artists such as Diana Ross and Kirk Whalum. She was honored in the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023 for her special contributions to the music industry.
The singer-songwriter suffered two strokes— one in 2006 and the other in 2007. Following the first stroke, she was paralyzed on her left side and required speech and physical therapy. Without health insurance to cover her hospital bills, her manager organized a benefit concert to raise the necessary funds. Engel teamed up with New York radio stations Kiss FM and WFAN-FM to organize the event, which was held in Englewood, New Jersey.
Speaking to The Denver Post in February 2011, after taking five years to recover, Angela Bofill expressed her joy at returning to the stage:
“I feel happy performing again. I need crowd. In the blood, entertain."
In the interview, it was mentioned that she was surprised whenever people came to see her perform. Even though she no longer sang, she was still impressed by the turnout.
In an interview in December 2020 with Essence magazine, Angela Bofill opened up about her life and career after rumors of her death had circulated online just months before. The I’m on Your Side singer said she found out about the death hoax after receiving “a lot of calls confirming [if] it’s true.”
In the interview, she shared that her friends were calling her up, saying, "Oh my God, am I talking to the ghost of Angela Bofill?" and they were relieved it wasn’t true. When she was asked how it felt to see the tributes pouring in, she replied that she always welcomed love. She noted with humor that she figured people really liked her and found it better to maintain a sense of humor about the situation.
Angela Bofill is survived by her husband, Chris Portuguese, and daughter, Shauna Bofill.
