Grammy-Nominated Fugees Collaborator John Forté Was a Devoted Husband Until His Unexpected Death

If you know the name Lauryn Hill in connection to the music group The Fugees from the '90s, then you probably remember John Forté, an avid collaborator with the group. He was even nominated for a Grammy thanks to his work on The Fugees album "The Score." But who is John Forté's wife, and did the couple have any kids before John's unexpected death in 2026?

John was 50 at the time of his death. He had his ups and downs in the music industry, but he continued to make music even after his work with The Fugees ended. He met his future wife in 2015 and, two years after that, they were married. John's wife is not part of the music industry in any way, but who is she?

According to TMZ, John and his wife, Lara Fuller, met on Martha's Vineyard in 2015. The exact circumstances around their meeting aren't clear, but around 2016, they began to feature each other on their respective Instagram accounts. Then, in March 2017, they were married. John shared a photo from the wedding on his Instagram, and Lara shared her own and tagged Martha's Vineyard, where they apparently tied the knot. They lived there together until John's death.

Although Lara is not in the entertainment industry like her husband, she did make a career out of her art, which is not too far off from John's own legacy. According to her Instagram, Lara is a photographer. Some of her photos are professional shots she took of her and John's kids, but she also shares snippets from weddings or individuals she works with.

Per Lara's LinkedIn, she has been a self-employed photographer since 2015. Before that, she was a client liaison officer for Chief Trade Credit Insurance. After Lara met and started dating John, she supported his work and his mission to help others through music and activism. When he visited the White House in 2016 to perform at an event about criminal justice reform, Lara posted a photo of him on Instagram and wrote in the caption that she was "so thankful to have been in attendance."

John and Lara had two kids together, a daughter named Wren and a son, Haile. Although John recorded music from Martha's Vineyard, where he and Lara settled down together, he did leave at times for the sake of his career. But John's family was never far from his mind, it seems.

In late 2023, when he was on the road, he posted a photo of his kids with the caption, "Sending greatest love (from the road) and missing these two."

John's career stalled for several years in 2000 when he was arrested with 31 pounds of liquid cocaine at the Newark International Airport, according to BET. After that, he turned things around and was able to meet his wife and start a family. Eventually, his work in music continued.

In July 2025, less than a year before his death, the documentary Kerouac's Road: The Beat of a Nation was released, featuring John's music in the score and soundtrack.