Who was Shaun Martin? Everything to know about the Grammy-winning musician who died at the age of 45

Well-known musician Shaun Martin, 45, has recently died on August 3, 2024. While an official cause of death is currently awaited, he had a stroke in April last year, due to which he was under medical supervision. He gained recognition as a member of the band Snarky Puppy, whose upcoming performances have been postponed for now.

Apart from Snarky Puppy, where he was a keyboardist, Martin additionally worked with personalities such as Kim Burrell and Kirk Franklin. Furthermore, he contributed to the projects of other singers like Erykah Badu.

Snarky Puppy paid tribute to the artist through Instagram with a picture a day after his demise. They addressed his contributions in the post and wrote:

"Yesterday, we lost a music legend and, more importantly, a beautiful, luminous human being. Shaun Martin touched so many people during his life and through the beautiful immortality of music, will continue to do so. There's so much that can be said but words can't do justice. Rest in peace."

Other popular faces from the world of music also expressed their grief, including Jason St Clair, who said on Facebook that Shaun's music was an important part of everyone's lives during the 90s. Jason added that he left an influence on many other musicians and continued:

"One of my favorite works of Shaun Martin is his contribution to Kim Burrell's Live In Memphis around 2000. First of all, it was literally the Avengers of musicians on that record."

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Shaun Martin began training himself in music during his childhood

The Dallas, Texas native was four years old when he started undergoing music training. In an interview with Headliner magazine in 2020, he revealed that he began playing the Hammond B-3 at the church and learnt more about jazz during his time at high school. He opened up on his career after graduation and said:

"It was then that I began touring with Kirk Franklin, and writing and producing with Erykah Badu; and once I started producing, I began to take notice of things like sonics, and how they work in terms of translating a musical message."

After multiple collaborations with Kirk Franklin, Shaun Martin became a part of Snarky Puppy in 2010. The group was originally established by music composer Michael League and they delivered 15 successful albums in their career. The band's last project was Empire Central, which came out in 2022.

He eventually started focusing on a solo career and had two albums in his credits, 7 Summers and Focus. He addressed the success of 7 Summers in his conversation with Forbes in 2016, saying that he had a "built-in audience" by the time the project was released in 2015. He said:

"My church, they really, really supported me in this effort. Their level of support was indescribable. It was such a wonderful thing."

Martin even won a few accolades, including multiple Grammy Awards between 2007 and 2023. Shaun's survivors include his wife, Monica Wilson Martin, alongside a son named Harlem Martin.

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Snarky Puppy and many others planned a tribute concert for Shaun Martin

As mentioned, Martin suffered a stroke in April 2023 and had to be reportedly hospitalized at the time. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin posted a video through his Instagram page the same month, where he requested everyone to pray for Shaun and called him "one of the greatest musicians in the world."

While he was under medical supervision, Snarky Puppy joined artists such as Erykah Badu and Norah Jones to organize a tribute concert for Shaun on September 14, 2024. The performances were scheduled to be held at The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Downtown Dallas.

Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes, pastor for Friendship-West was selected as the host for the concert and the event was supposed to witness the presence of those who collaborated with Martin over the years. The list included names such as Adam Blackstone and Bobby Sparks.

The concert was named From the Friends of Shaun Martin and an official announcement was posted through Shaun's Instagram page on August 1. The caption reads in part:

"This special evening is about celebrating Shaun's incredible talents and coming together as a musical community to support Shaun's journey to recovery. Let's make this night a symphony of hope, love, and positive energy!"

The funds collected from the event shall be used to pay the remaining medical bills of Martin.