Fans to say goodbye to Angie Stone at public memorial service for R&B singer

FILE - Angie Stone poses as she walks down the red carpet during the 2009 Soul Train Awards taping at the Georgia World Congress Center, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith, File)

Obit Angie Stone FILE - Angie Stone poses as she walks down the red carpet during the 2009 Soul Train Awards taping at the Georgia World Congress Center, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith, File) (Gregory Smith/AP)

By WSBTV.com News Staff and The Associated Press

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Friends and fans of Angie Stone will gather on Friday for a public memorial service for the Grammy-nominated R&B singer.

Stone died in a car crash in Alabama on March 1. Stone’s longtime manager said the cargo van she was riding in flipped over and was hit by a truck on Interstate 65. Everyone else in the van survived the crash.

Friday’s service is set for 11 a.m. at Word of Faith Cathedral in Austell, Georgia. A private service will be held Saturday at First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

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Stone’s music career first took off as a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” She found a sweet spot in the early 2000s as neo-soul began to dominate R&B.

In a recent Instagram post, Stone told fans she was excited about upcoming events and “getting back in the mix.”

Stone performed in Mobile, Alabama the night before the crash and was heading back to Atlanta. Stone’s dear friend and former Channel 2 anchor and reporter JaQuitta Williams said Stone survived the initial incident.

“She was talking to somebody alongside her telling them to help her get out of the van,” Williams said.

Alabama law enforcement said that’s when an 18-wheeler hit the van and the van hit Stone, killing her.

“It’s just been hard to process,” Williams said.

Williams said Stone’s son and daughter are understandably having a tough time.

“They want her fans to know to keep her legacy alive. Keep loving on her. Keep playing her music,” Williams said.

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