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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Angela Bofill, the New York-born singer best known for “I Try,” died on June 13, 2024, in Vallejo, California. She was 70. Her friend and manager Rich Engel announced her death, which family members later confirmed. A cause of death was not disclosed in the principal reports.
Angela Bofill, the New York-born singer best known for “I Try,” died on June 13, 2024, in Vallejo, California. She was 70. Her friend and manager, Rich Engel, announced her death, and subsequent reports said family members confirmed it. Bofill died at the home of her daughter, Shauna.
A cause of death was not disclosed in the principal contemporary reports. Bofill’s death should therefore not be linked to the serious health problems she experienced earlier in life, including two strokes in 2006 and 2007.
Who was Angela Bofill?
Angela Tomasa Bofill was an American singer-songwriter whose music brought together jazz, soul, R&B, Latin influences and sophisticated adult-oriented pop. She was born in New York City on May 2, 1954, and raised in the Bronx by a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother.
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Bofill emerged from New York’s jazz and musical-theater environment in the 1970s. Accounts of her early career describe a classically trained vocalist with a broad range, expressive phrasing and a dramatic, emotionally direct delivery. Those qualities helped distinguish her during a period when jazz-informed R&B was finding a large commercial audience.
Her background also made her an important Latina presence in American popular music. Bofill did not fit neatly into a single category: the jazz influence was central to her musicianship, while her records also drew on soul, Latin music and the polished production associated with late-1970s and 1980s adult R&B.
“I Try” and Angel of the Night
Bofill made her recording debut with Angie in 1978. Her second album, Angel of the Night, followed in 1979 and included “I Try,” the recording most closely associated with her in obituary headlines and later listener searches.
Angel of the Night was produced by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen and released through the GRP/Arista orbit. “I Try” remains a useful entry point to Bofill’s catalog, but describing her as a one-hit singer would leave out much of her career. The album also helped establish the blend of jazz musicianship, romantic songwriting and polished R&B that defined her work.
Rank #2
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Listeners looking to own her music may find an Angela Bofill CD, including editions of individual albums or later compilations. Availability, pressing, packaging and seller condition can vary, particularly for older catalog releases, so the specific edition should be checked before purchase.
Her best-known songs
“I Try” was one of Bofill’s signature recordings, but it was part of a broader body of work. Her best-known songs include:
- “I Try”
- “Angel of the Night”
- “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter”
- “Too Tough”
- “I’m On Your Side”
- “Tonight I Give In”
- “You Should Know By Now”
- “Break It to Me Gently”
According to the Washington Post obituary, Bofill placed eight songs in the R&B Top 40. “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and “Too Tough” were among the records that broadened her audience beyond the listeners who first encountered her through jazz-oriented material.
A career that continued through the 1990s
Bofill’s studio catalog extended well beyond her first two albums. Her major releases included:
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| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Angie |
| 1979 | Angel of the Night |
| 1981 | Something About You |
| 1983 | Teaser |
| 1983 | Too Tough |
| 1984 | Let Me Be the One |
| 1985 | Tell Me Tomorrow |
| 1988 | Intuition |
| 1993 | I Wanna Love Somebody |
| 1996 | Love in Slow Motion |
Later catalog listings also include compilations and Live From Manila, a live release issued in 2006. It is important to distinguish that title from Bofill’s studio albums: it documents her as a live performer rather than representing another conventional studio record.
Rank #3
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Two strokes changed her performing career
Bofill suffered strokes in 2006 and 2007. Reports describe lasting effects on her speech and mobility, followed by a lengthy rehabilitation period. The Washington Post reported that she spent three years in rehabilitation and that her regular singing career had been cut short by the mid-2000s.
Those events shaped the later public understanding of Bofill’s career, but they did not erase her earlier achievements. Her recordings continued to circulate, and tribute performances helped keep her name and music in front of audiences. Industry and music references also describe later stage activity connected with The Angela Bofill Experience. Available accounts vary in their detail, so those performances are best understood as part of her continuing legacy rather than treated as a return to the full recording career of her peak years.
Death, family and final years
Engel’s announcement appeared in posts associated with Bofill’s social-media presence. Follow-up reporting said relatives confirmed that the news was genuine, an important clarification because false reports of Bofill’s death had circulated in 2020.
Contemporary reports identified her husband as Chris Portuguese. Funeral information placed services in the California area in late June 2024. Memorial records give Bofill’s life dates as May 2, 1954, to June 13, 2024.
Rank #4
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No publicly established cause of death was included in the principal reports reviewed. The fact that Bofill had experienced strokes years earlier should not be presented as an explanation for her death.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Angela Bofill’s legacy
Bofill’s legacy is larger than the song named in the headline. She was a successful female R&B vocalist who brought jazz training, Latin heritage and dramatic ballad singing into a commercially accessible sound. Her records could be technically assured without feeling distant, and her phrasing gave emotional weight to both quiet songs and more assertive material such as “Too Tough.”
Her career also illustrates how an artist’s reputation can survive a long absence from the conventional music business. Bofill’s health setbacks limited her ability to perform, yet her recordings remained discoverable through compilations, reissues, live material and devoted listeners. References also report that she was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2023; that honor is supported by secondary music coverage, although the organization’s official archive should be consulted for definitive documentation.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFor new listeners, “I Try” is the natural starting point. From there, “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “Angel of the Night,” “I’m On Your Side” and “Too Tough” show why Angela Bofill’s catalog cannot be reduced to a single recording. She was a jazz-informed, soul-rooted vocalist whose work connected several traditions and whose audience continued to value that connection decades after her commercial peak.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did Angela Bofill die?
Angela Bofill died on June 13, 2024, in Vallejo, California. Reports said she died at the home of her daughter, Shauna. She was 70.
What was Angela Bofill’s cause of death?
No cause of death was disclosed in the principal contemporary reports. Her earlier strokes in 2006 and 2007 should not be presented as the cause of death.
What songs was Angela Bofill known for?
Her best-known recordings include “I Try,” “Angel of the Night,” “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “Too Tough,” “I’m On Your Side,” “Tonight I Give In,” “You Should Know By Now” and “Break It to Me Gently.”
Was Angela Bofill a one-hit singer?
No. “I Try” was one of her signature recordings, but Bofill had multiple R&B Top 40 songs and released albums from 1978 through the 1990s.
The Bottom Line
Angela Bofill died in Vallejo, California, on June 13, 2024, at age 70. Best known for “I Try,” she left a much broader catalog shaped by jazz, Latin music, soul and R&B. No cause of death was publicly disclosed in the principal reports.
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