Angela Bofill, “I Try” singer, dies at 70

R&B singer Angela Bofill has died. She was 70 years old.

On Friday, June 14, a rep for the artist, whose hits include “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “I Try” and “Angel of the Night,” told PEOPLE that she died Thursday morning at her daughter’s home in Vallejo, California.

The news of her death was also shared on the artist’s personal Facebook account in two separate posts on Friday.

“ON BEHALF OF MY DEAR FRIEND ANGIE, IT IS WITH SADNESS THAT I ANNOUNCE HER DEATH ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 13TH,” the first post said. Her funeral will be held on June 28th at 1 p.m. at St. Dominick’s Church in California.

A second update read: “JUST TO CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION. ON BEHALF OF SHAUNA BOFILL, HER HUSBAND CHRIS PORTUGUESE, WE ARE SAD BUT HAVE TO REPORT THAT ANGELA DID ACTUALLY PASS AWAY YESTERDAY. WE THANK MELBA MOORE AND MAYSA FOR THEIR EARLY CONDITIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR MANY POSTS.”

The message was signed by her friend and manager Rich Engel.

In an interview in December 2020 with Being In the magazine “The 40 Fingers,” Bofill spoke about her life and career just months after rumors of her death circulated on the Internet.

The “I’m on Your Side” singer said with a laugh that she learned of the false death report after receiving “numerous calls confirming whether it was true.”

“Friends are calling and saying, ‘Oh my God, am I talking to the ghost of Angela Bofill?’ Thank God that’s not true,” she told the outlet.

When asked how it felt to see the tributes pouring in, she replied, “Love is always welcome.”

“I was like, ‘They really like me!’ (I just laugh) about it, really. It’s better to have a sense of humor,” the artist continued.

She added that she has the will to live to see her grandchildren graduate from high school and college.

Rumors of Bofill’s death in 2020 followed previous health complications after the singer suffered two strokes in 2006 and 2007.

Speak with The Denver Post She took a five-year break in 2011 to focus on her health. Bofill said she was happy to be back.

“I feel happy again when I perform,” Bofill says. “I need the audience. Entertainment is in my blood. Whenever an audience comes to see me, I’m surprised. I don’t sing anymore and yet people come. Wow. Impressed,” she told the publication.

Engel also spoke with the post and recalled Bofill’s career in the 1970s and 1980s.

“She had an extraordinary voice,” he said of his client and friend. “She could hit low notes and the high C. Her tone was perfect.”

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As she talked about the complications of her stroke, such as having to learn to walk again and her voice not being quite the same, Bofill remained positive.

“But my voice doesn’t sing. I’d rather not sing. It’s terrible. It makes me laugh! It’s funny! I laugh about it. But I’m very grateful – I’m still alive. Never take things for granted,” she said.

Bowfill began recording music in her teens and released her first studio album, Angiein 1978. She continued to record new albums into the 1990s. Her other hit singles include “Something About You,” “I’m on Your Side,” “Let Me Be the One,” and “I Just Wanna Stop.”