Jeff Stice, Gospel Music Pianist, Passes Away

Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Stice has passed away on September 14th. He was 61 years-old. On August 28, Jeff was hospitalized in Nashville, Tennessee, following a fall in his home. He was airlifted from his home in Brownsville, KY to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, TN. The surgeons began immediate emergency surgery to save his life and in hopes of preventing longterm paralysis. With injuries to his neck and spine, Jeff never recovered from them.

Jeff's love for the piano started at the age of six.His mother played piano, and every time she did, Jeff would lie under the piano and listen. When she would finish, he would get on the stool, place his hands on the keys, and begin to pick out the melody of some of the songs he had heard her play. At the age of 8, Jeff began taking piano lessons, and it was recognized early on that he had "an ear" for music. 

Stice began his professional career playing piano with the Monitors Quartet in the early 1980s. In 1983, Stice joined the famous Blackwood Brothers where he traveled with the group's long-time baritone Cecil Blackwood and bass singer Ken Turner. After a couple of years, Stice moved on to the Nelons where he remained until 1990.

In 1990, Stice and popular tenor Danny Funderburk formed Perfect Heart with Dale Shipley, Mark Lanier, and Mike Bullock. The group's first single was a number one song, and Stice remained with the group until they disbanded in 1998.

In 1999, Stice joined the Kingdom Heirs where he traveled with tenor singer David Sutton and bass singer Eric Bennett. Three years later in 2002, those three men joined forces with father/son duo Clayton and Scotty Inman to form Integrity Quartet (later Triumphant Quartet). For the first few years, they performed mostly at the Louise Mandrell Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, but later, they began touring full-time. Stice remained with Triumphant until May 2014. After that point, he traveled as a solo performer.

Funeral arrangements are pending. The family appreciates your continued prayers during this difficult time. 

 

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