{"id":2183391,"date":"2025-12-01T22:17:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2183391"},"modified":"2025-12-01T22:17:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:17:17","slug":"antone-chubby-tavares-new-bedford-rb-music-legend-has-died","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/antone-chubby-tavares-new-bedford-rb-music-legend-has-died\/","title":{"rendered":"Antone &#8216;Chubby&#8217; Tavares, New Bedford R&#038;B music legend, has died"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"videoWrap\" class=\"spacer-large videoWrap\" style=\"position:relative\"><media-video video-id=\"74257948007\" title=\"Tavares Brothers' Way street sign unveiled\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257545007-img-5769.jpg?crop=3898,2194,x0,y438\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\" placement=\"snow-video-story-priority\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"uwVideoPlaceholder\" slot=\"placeholder\" style=\"z-index:19;width:100%;padding-bottom:56.25%;position:relative\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"vidplaybtn\" style=\"display:-moz-box;display:-ms-flexbox;display:-webkit-flex;display:flex;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,.4);border:2px solid #fff;border-radius:80px;cursor:pointer;height:80px;width:80px;position:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);z-index:10\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div slot=\"videoDetails\" id=\"videoDetails\" class=\"videoDetails\" style=\"padding-top:8px;padding-bottom:8px\">\n<div id=\"videoDetailsContainer\" class=\"videoDetailsContainer\" hidden=\"\">\n<p>Tavares Brothers&#8217; Way street sign unveiled<\/p>\n<p>The New Bedford street was named in honor of the internationally famous music group made up of the Tavares brothers by a grateful community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/media-video><\/div>\n<p>Antone \u201cChubby\u201d Tavares, the lead singer of the legendary vocal group Tavares, has passed away at the age of 81.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>His son, Antone Tavares, announced his passing on Saturday, Nov. 29, in a<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antone.tavares.1\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antone.tavares.1\"> statement on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is with great sadness that we share news of our Dad Antone &#8216;Chubby&#8217; Tavares passing. He passed last night at home in peace &amp; comfort. Within the past year his health has declined but his spirit and attitude always remained positive. Dad and his brothers touched many people and brought Joy worldwide. They were Blessed to experience many places and things,\u201d the post reads.<\/p>\n<p>He added that a celebration of life will be held at a later date.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257524007-img-5744.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257524007-img-5744.jpg?crop=3360,2521,x0,y4 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257524007-img-5744.jpg?crop=1897,2529,x168,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257524007-img-5744.jpg?crop=3360,1890,x0,y0 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Frank Mulligan\/Standard-Times\" caption=\"Tavares Brothers' Way became an official street in New Bedford in 2024 as a way to honor the five brothers who have created a lasting legacy in the city. Here, Chubby Tavares speaks at the ceremony.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">Social media has been filled with Tavares\u2019 impact<\/h2>\n<p>A post on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheTavaresBrothers?__cft__%5b0%5d=AZVN3khCx8KxuUKAEJ52fBabc0JAVTub8bE2orya6-IvWm9jq8NAUf17v4rluL-lbyCKxIkiXQ3-rtJtTFbQr-kkxNQlBDWI0MM8wifVlR8Qr4scDTBW7wznlC5KX3O_UOgzdRN8VxT8JtjeAGM_N6KIKOqMkE14NKh_bQlpO_BvD4xoIArY7wxikmX0tJRsqZ4&amp;__tn__=-UC%2CP-R\"><strong>Tavares<\/strong><\/a> official Facebook page was flooded with nearly a thousand comments, filled with condolences and reflections on Chubby Tavares\u2019 influence and the enduring legacy of his music.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u201cTo our loyal fans, family, and friends,We are saddened to announce that our brother Antone \u2018Chubby\u2019 Tavares has passed away. Please pray for Chubby, his children, his girlfriend Cheri, and our family during this difficult time. We know that he is now eternally with our Lord. We thank you in advance for allowing us to mourn privately as a family. We love you, and God bless you all.\u2014 The Tavares Family,\u201d the post read.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/><partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>New Bedford Councillor-at-Large Brian K. Gomes wrote in a<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brian.k.gomes\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brian.k.gomes\"> Facebook post<\/a>, \u201cI am sad and brokenhearted with the loss of Chubby Tavares. May he rest in peace, and thank you for the great memories and the music that will live on forever and ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capeverdeanmuseum\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/capeverdeanmuseum\">Cape Verdean Museum<\/a> also shared a message: \u201cWe lost a legendary member of our community in the passing of Chubby Tavares. Our condolences to the family and to everyone who is affected by this great loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cta-atoms-container-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/cta\" class=\"spacer-large\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CapeVerdeanAssociationinNewBedford\">Cape Verdean Association in New Bedford<\/a> added, \u201cCondolences to the family and friends of Chubby Tavares. May he rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"presto-h2 wp-block-heading\">A voice that defined an era<\/h2>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2023\/04\/01\/NSTT\/16066ed8-f72e-4bf3-87bd-a70aa261b8d3-_E1_3961.JPG bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2023\/04\/01\/NSTT\/16066ed8-f72e-4bf3-87bd-a70aa261b8d3-_E1_3961.JPG?crop=2413,1810,x0,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2023\/04\/01\/NSTT\/16066ed8-f72e-4bf3-87bd-a70aa261b8d3-_E1_3961.JPG?crop=1361,1815,x136,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2023\/04\/01\/NSTT\/16066ed8-f72e-4bf3-87bd-a70aa261b8d3-_E1_3961.JPG?crop=2722,1532,x0,y138 16:9\" image-alt=\"President of Cape Verde Jose Maria Pereira Neves honors Chubby Antone Lee Tavares, of The Tavares Brothers, during a visit to the Whaling Museum in New Bedford where he honored prominent members of the Cape Verdean community.\" credit=\"PETER PEREIRA\/The Standard-Times\" caption=\"President of Cape Verde Jose Maria Pereira Neves honors Chubby Antone Lee Tavares, of The Tavares Brothers, during a visit to the Whaling Museum in New Bedford where he honored prominent members of the Cape Verdean community.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Consignment for a cause: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/news\/2025\/11\/30\/walts-mobile-closet-consignment-clothing-underserved-new-bedford\/87354116007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Walt&#8217;s Mobile Closet partners with nonprofits to help those in need<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A New Bedford native, Chubby was the lead singer of the Grammy-winning sibling R&amp;B group Tavares.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"600\" outstream=\"\" momentum=\"\"\/>\n<p>A pioneer of Cape Verdean-American representation in mainstream soul music, his voice helped shape the sound of 1970s R&amp;B.<\/p>\n<p>Chubby and his brothers Feliciano \u201cButch,\u201d Perry Lee \u201cTiny,\u201d Arthur \u201cPooch,\u201d and Ralph first performed as \u201cChubby and the Turnpikes\u201d before adopting the name Tavares.<\/p>\n<p>Chubby\u2019s remarkable voice was the centerpiece of many of their signature hits, including \u201cHeaven Must Be Missing an Angel\u201d and \u201cIt Only Takes a Minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group scored eight singles on Billboard\u2019s Top 40, 12 singles on the R&amp;B Top 10 (including three No. 1 records), three dance chart hits\u2014including a No. 1\u2014and released 10 hit albums.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/2018\/07\/25\/NSTT\/ghows-NB-71d43102-47f5-61f3-e053-0100007f2319-124721f0.jpeg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/2018\/07\/25\/NSTT\/ghows-NB-71d43102-47f5-61f3-e053-0100007f2319-124721f0.jpeg?crop=1623,1219,x216,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/2018\/07\/25\/NSTT\/ghows-NB-71d43102-47f5-61f3-e053-0100007f2319-124721f0.jpeg?crop=915,1219,x626,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/2018\/07\/25\/NSTT\/ghows-NB-71d43102-47f5-61f3-e053-0100007f2319-124721f0.jpeg?crop=2159,1219,x0,y0 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Standard-Times\" caption=\"Chubby, Tiny, Butch and Pooch Tavares keep the music alive today, nearly six decades after the brothers began singing together, and almost 50 years since adopting Tavares for the group's name. [Courtesy photo]\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p>In 1978, Tavares won a Grammy Award for their contributions to the iconic \u201cSaturday Night Fever\u201d soundtrack, one of the most successful film soundtracks of all time.<\/p>\n<partner-inline util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" class=\"spacer-large\" placement=\"native-article_link\" sizes=\"[[300, 250], [3, 3]]\" min-height=\"250\" fluid=\"\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>Tavares received numerous honors throughout their career. The brothers were inducted into the Cape Verdean Museum Hall of Fame in 2006, received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The National R&amp;B Music Society in 2013, and were inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>In 2012, Chubby began his solo career with his first solo album, &#8220;Jealousy&#8221; followed by \u201cCan&#8217;t Knock Me Down,\u201d released in 2015.<\/p>\n<p><media-image image-set=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257481007-img-5699.jpg bestCrop, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257481007-img-5699.jpg?crop=2903,2177,x0,y0 4:3, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257481007-img-5699.jpg?crop=1634,2177,x685,y0 3:4, https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/29\/NSTT\/74257481007-img-5699.jpg?crop=3004,1690,x0,y0 16:9\" image-alt=\"\" credit=\"Frank Mulligan\/Standard-Times\" caption=\"From left, Antone \u201cChubby\u201d Tavares, Perry &quot;Tiny&quot; Tavares and Victor Tavares attend a 2024 ceremony for the unveiling of Tavares Brothers Way in New Bedford.\" orientation=\"horizontal\" class=\"spacer-large\" util-module-path=\"elements\/media\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Weekly home sales: <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/business\/real-estate\/2025\/12\/01\/real-estate-listings-in-greater-new-bedford\/87511103007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Resort style home in Mattapoisett sells for over $1M<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Tavares Brothers&#8217; Way became an official street in New Bedford in 2024 as a way to honor the five brothers who have created a lasting legacy in the city.<\/p>\n<partner-banner util-module-path=\"elements\/partner\" fluid=\"\" bottom=\"\" lazy=\"\" class=\"spacer-large\" min-height=\"390\" outstream=\"\"\/>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve been around the world and every time they were introduced, New Bedford, Mass., was attached to it. They were at the forefront of a whole era,&#8221; City Councilor Derek Baptiste\u00a0said during the street naming.<\/p>\n<p>The Tavares family has endured significant loss in recent years. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2021\/12\/09\/ralph-tavares-new-bedford-dies-music-heaven-must-be-missing-an-angel-fall-river-entertainment-soul\/6447647001\/\">Ralph, the oldest member of the group, passed away<\/a> from natural causes just two days before his 80th birthday. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/news\/2024\/04\/17\/arthur-pooch-tavares-musician-dies-lead-singer-new-bedford-massachusetts\/73354016007\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.southcoasttoday.com\/story\/news\/2024\/04\/17\/arthur-pooch-tavares-musician-dies-lead-singer-new-bedford-massachusetts\/73354016007\/\">Arthur \u201cPooch\u201d Tavares<\/a> died in 2024 at age 81.<\/p>\n<lit-timestamp class=\"column ten-column no-gutter spacer-small\" slot=\"timestamp\" publishdate=\"2025-12-01 16:44:19.084461721 +0000 UTC\" updatedate=\"2025-12-01 16:50:22.333082757 +0000 UTC\"\/><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.southcoasttoday.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tavares Brothers&#8217; Way street sign unveiled The New Bedford street was named in honor of the internationally famous music group made up of the Tavares brothers by a grateful community. Antone \u201cChubby\u201d Tavares, the lead singer of the legendary vocal group Tavares, has passed away at the age of 81. His son, Antone Tavares, announced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2183392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[39915,22220,364051,21751,239390,304719,305429,6297,21741,311659,21739,298114,21800,26575,311798,21738,239343,239347,23759,387651,387655,305423,239344,28927,311953],"class_list":["post-2183391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-affiliate","tag-arts","tag-bedford","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-death","tag-death-u0026-tragedy","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-facebook","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-music","tag-new","tag-new-bedford","tag-news","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-positive","tag-ru0026b","tag-ru0026b-music","tag-tragedy","tag-u0026","tag-world","tag-world-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Antone-Chubby-Tavares-New-Bedford-RB-music-legend-has-died-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2183391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2183393,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183391\/revisions\/2183393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2183392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2183391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2183391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2183391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}