Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew,” died Sunday in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75.

A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city’s famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label — beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the ‘80s — Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable “Sound of Philadelphia.”

In a joint statement sent to Billboard, Gamble & Huff commented, “Dexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and ‘80s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter’s synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic.”

Encompassing vibrant fusions of R&B, funk, jazz and futurist/electronic grooves coupled with lavish orchestrations, those sounds were the hallmark of Life on Mars and the three additional albums that Wansel released via Philadelphia International. The projects include 1977’s What the World Is Coming To, 1978’s Voyager and 1979’s Time Is Slipping Away.

Wansel stayed just as busy behind the scenes at the label during the late ‘70s and into the ‘80s. He teamed with in-house lyricist Cynthia Biggs for a fruitful run that reaped songs such as LaBelle’s No. 1 R&B single “If Only You Knew,” The Jones Girls’ “Nights Over Egypt,” The Stylistics’ “Hurry Up This Way Again,” Grover Washington Jr.’s “The Best Is Yet to Come” featuring Patti LaBelle and Phyllis Hyman’s “Living All Alone.”

Wansel was also a producer on Lou Rawls’ 1977 album Unmistakably Lou, for which the singer won a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance. Wansel’s work has also been sampled by various hip-hop artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Kim, Drake and J. Cole. Over these later years, Wansel released other solo projects, among them: Captured (1986), Digital Groove World (2004) and The Story of the Flight Crew to Mars (2021).

Added Gamble & Huff, “Dexter’s prolific songwriting with his long-time writing partner Cynthia Biggs  – who worked with Teddy Pendergrass and others — made them one of the most sought-after writing teams in our publishing company.  Most importantly, Dexter was our dear friend, protegé and great contributor to the Sound of Philadelphia. We send our sincere condolences to his wife Judy and family.”

Wansel is survived by his Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer son Andrew “Pop” Wansel of Pop & Oak. The younger Wansel’s credits include projects by Usher, Kehlani and Alessia Cara.

A statement from the Wansel family states, “We wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He’s at peace now.”

Memorial details will be announced at a later date. 

Jennifer Lopez is setting the record straight on what she says is one of the most common rumors that gets recycled about her: that she’s dating anyone she’s ever seen with.

During an interview with the Today show, the star of the new rom-com Office Romance and her co-star Brett Goldstein got cornered into answering questions about their relationship off-camera.

Today‘s Savannah Guthrie, who interviewed the actors, had Lopez and Goldstein rewatch a clip where the “Get Right” singer confesses to Bravo host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that the best kiss she’s ever had was with Goldstein during the filming of the movie. “I just did a movie with Brett Goldstein and I’d say he was the best kisser,” Lopez confessed to Cohen.

Rewatching the clip with her co-star beside her made Lopez blush and led Guthrie to ask the pressing question: “You know what everyone is saying,” Guthrie said.

“What are they saying?” Lopez asked, to which the presenter said, “That it might be real. That you might actually be dating in real life.”

Lopez brushed off the question. “There is never a time when I’m seen with somebody or working with somebody that they don’t try and put me with the person,” Lopez replied.

“I think if you stand near her, that’s what happens,” Goldstein added.

Guthrie pointed out that was still not an answer to the question, to which Lopez said, “It was an answer. ‘Cause all these people that they put me with … I think I was with Kevin Costner this year, there was a lot of people. It happens all the time.”

When Guthrie pushed once more — “So you’re not dating then?” — Lopez responded, “Not dating,” while Goldstein added, “Correct.”

Lopez recently had a resurgence on the Billboard charts when her dance-pop anthem “On the Floor” hit the Billboard Global 200 thanks to a scene from the Prime Video series Off Campus, in which a character re-creates Lopez’s iconic Versace dress while dancing to the song at a Halloween party.

Watch Lopez and Goldstein’s full Today interview below:

Mal shocked his co-hosts in a recent episode of New Rory & Mal by proclaiming that he would side with Drake if a rap battle popped off between the Toronto rapper and Jay-Z.

“I might have to ride with my man Drake,” the brother of Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke said while discussing the possibility.

When jokingly pressed about his family ties to the Jigga Man, Mal doubled down. “That’s big bro, that’s family,” he said of Jay-Z. “But [Drake’s] my man. I gotta ride with my man.” However, he did add that he would change his mind if things ventured into more personal territory saying, “I’m with it if it remains rap and respectful. I’m not with the corny, just make up anything and say anything bullsh– that we witnessed two years ago,” in reference to the Drake/Kendrick battle.

In another clip that surfaced online, Mal revealed that Drake texted him about the way Jay-Z was sporting his hair onstage at the Roots Picnic. “The funny sh– about all of this is Drake is the one that told me about this freestyle, because I was watching the Spurs game,” he claimed after his co-host Rory told a story of how Jermaine Dupri made him FaceTime Mal to scream at him about not siding with the family. “I wasn’t online. Game 7 was on. The Knicks was waiting. I’m trying to see who the Knicks gon’ get so I’m not even paying attention to my phone, nothing. So I think it was halftime or something, so I look at my phone, and I see texts from Drake.”

He added: “I don’t know what’s happening so everything that we’re talking about, I don’t even know what was said,” Mal said of his subsequent back-and-forth text exchange with Drake. “So he was picking out certain things that he said, but the one thing that Drake said was like, ‘Yo, but what’s up with the hair?’ Now mind you, I haven’t seen a picture.”

Jay-Z shook up the rap world with an a cappella freestyle during the Roots Picnic over the weekend in which he aired his grievances and dissed a bunch of people, including Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Dame Dash, among others.

British soul/R&B trio FLO is set to receive the ASCAP Vanguard Award at the 2026 ASCAP London Celebrates Songwriters and Composers event on Tuesday (June 16). 

The award is presented to breakthrough artists who are shaping the future of music. Previous recipients include Dua Lipa, Victoria Monet and St. Vincent.

“FLO are redefining R&B with incredible chops and style,” Paul Williams, ASCAP chairman of the board and president, said in a statement. “As they continue to build on their remarkable creative achievements, we’re proud to honor FLO with the Vanguard Award.”

On March 26, the London-based trio won a MOBO award for best R&B/soul act (besting Olivia Dean, among others). It also received a 2026 Grammy nod for best progressive R&B album for its debut set, Access All Areas. In 2023, the group won the rising star award at the Brit Awards, and that same year it rated in the annual BBC Sound of… poll. FLO has additionally been nominated for seven BET Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards.

FLO, which is signed to Island Records, is composed of Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer. The trio’s debut studio album, Access All Areas (2024), included “In My Bag,” a collaboration with GloRilla. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Official UK Albums Chart and No. 163 on the Billboard 200.

FLO plans to attend the June 16 event, at which ASCAP will celebrate its U.K. songwriters and composers who have achieved success in the U.S. for their work in music, TV and film. The event will also celebrate the U.K. writers of the 2026 song of the year, top Hot Dance / Electronic Song, top box office film of the year and more.

Ryan Castro is hitting the road once more with his Sendé: The Last Dance Tour across the United States, Billboard can exclusively announce Tuesday (June 2). 

Promoted by The Touring Co., Awoo Team and Eventimlive, the 16-date trek will kick off Sept. 6 at the HQ2 Beachclub at Ocean Casino Resort in New Jersey, and wraps Oct. 10 in Las Vegas at a location to be announced. In the midst of the monthlong trek, the Colombian sensation will make pit stops in Boston, Orlando, Nashville, San Antonio and Las Vegas, to name a few key cities.  

The Sendé: The Last Dance Tour marks the second U.S. leg of his 2025 Sendé World Tour that  included concerts in Miami’s Kaseya Center, New York’s Barclays Center and Los Angeles’ Intuit Dome, as well as a historic hometown show in Medellín’s Atanasio Girardot Stadium earlier this year. 

The new U.S. trek will be followed by his anticipated concert at Bogotá’s El Campín Stadium set for Oct. 31, a tradition he dubs as “awooween” in honor of his famous saying “awoo.” 

With his new tour leg, Castro will officially wrap his Sendé era that was powered by his 2025 albums Sendé and Hopi Sendé. The former was named one of Billboard’s 50 Best Albums of 2025, and the latter is home to “La Villa,” his collaboration with Kapo that reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart this April. 

“Seeing how these songs have connected with you has been something very special,” Castro tells Billboard. “I am happy to announce more dates and bring my music to new cities. Thank you for joining me in making my dreams come true.”

General tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. local time on June 4 via The Touring Co.’s website. Pre-sale will be available from 10 a.m. local time on June 3, to 8 a.m. local time on June 4 with the password SENDE. 

See the new Sendé: The Last Dance Tour dates below:

Peabo Bryson — the Grammy-winning and hitmaking singer of legendary love songs — has died at age 75, his rep confirmed to Billboard. Bryson had suffered a stroke over the weekend and was under medical care.

“With broken hearts and profound sadness, the family of two-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and balladeer, Peabo Bryson, announces his passing,” a statement from Bryson’s family reads, adding: “He transitioned peacefully at 5:00 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, June 2, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family and those closest to him.”

Over his decadeslong career, Bryson placed 12 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, starting with “Lovers After All,” his 1981 duet with Melissa Manchester, and including three top 10 hits. He topped the chart in 1993 thanks to his recording of Disney’s “A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme)” with Regina Belle. Bryson had previously found success with another Disney classic, recording “Beauty and the Beast” with a then-23-year-old Celine Dion and reaching No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1992.

Those two Disney success stories also brought Bryson his two Grammy wins out of eight nominations, with both duets taking home best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal in back-to-back years (1993 and 1994).

“We are tremendously moved by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from fans, friends, and colleagues around the world,” Bryson’s family shared in a statement. “While our hearts are broken, we find comfort in knowing how deeply Peabo was loved and how many lives were touched by his voice and his generous spirit. His legacy and music will live on for generations to come.”

One of the last posts on Bryson’s social media accounts was an April carousel of family photos celebrating his 75th birthday. “This is 75!!,” the photos are captioned. “Thank you for all my well wishes,” he added with a heart-hands emoji.