The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has claimed another person from the entertainment industry as gospel singer Troy Sneed has died due to COVID-19.
According to Billboard, the 52-year-old gospel singer died on Monday morning due to complications brought about by the coronavirus. The music publication also recalled Sneed’s impressive history on the Billboard Gospel Charts, which has featured seven of his albums, namely “Taking It Back,” “In His Presence,” “In Due Season,” “Awesome God,” “My Heart Says Yes,” “All Is Well,” and “A State of Worship.”
The Hot Gospel Song chart also saw five of his singles reach the top 10. The singles are "Work It Out," "Kept by His Grace," "My Heart Says Yes," "Lay It Down," and "Hallelujah."
Before launching his successful gospel career, Sneed studied education with a minor in music at the Florida A&M University. He was invited to be the Assistant Minister of Music of the Georgia Mass Choir by Rev. Milton Biggham, an executive of Savoy Records.
As reported by USA Today, Sneed also earned a Grammy nomination for his part in the album “Higher,” a 1999 album from Youth for Christ.
Aside from founding and working with Youth for Christ, Sneed also toured with the Georgia Mass Choir and also appeared with Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington on the 1999 romantic film “The Preacher’s Wife.”
Along with his wife Emily, Sneed established the Emtro record label, featuring artists such as Rev. Rudolph McKissick and Alvin Darling & Celebration.
Sneed’s passing is the latest in a growing list of entertainment personalities that have died because of complications brought about by COVID-19. Entertainment figures that have passed away since the pandemic started include Fountains of Wayne co-founder Adam Schlesinger, legendary singer-songwriter John Prine, celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz, British comedians Tim Brooke-Taylor and Eddie Large, “Star Wars” actor and dialect coach Andrew Jack, Broadway veteran Mark Blum, celebrity biographer Patricia Bosworth, and NFL legend Tom Dempsey.
As confirmed COVID-19 cases do not seem to be slowing down around the world, more deaths are expected. Globally, there are 2,954,222 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 202,597 deaths caused by COVID-19, according to the Apr. 28 situation report of the World Health Organization. Of those confirmed cases, 76,026 are new cases, while 3,932 are new deaths.
Meanwhile, the United States has seen its confirmed COVID-19 cases rise up to 981,246 people, as per the Apr. 28 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are now 55,258 people who have died from COVID-19. Of those confirmed cases, 23,371 are new cases, while new deaths make up 1,336 of the total number of fatalities.