Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Manuel Seal Jr. has died at 66. He died on September 27, 2026, one day after turning 66. The news was shared by his fellow producer Jermaine Dupri. The cause of death has not been publicly revealed.
Dupri wrote on Instagram that he had lost the first person who truly understood him musically. Seal played an integral role in shaping the sound of So So Def Records.
Seal is best known for Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together." He won the Best R&B Song Grammy in 2006 for it, one of 13 career nominations. The song spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also co-wrote Carey's 1995 hit "Always Be My Baby."
His writing helped define Usher's 1997 album My Way, with seven of its 10 songs, including "You Make Me Wanna," "My Way" and "Nice and Slow." He earned multiple writing credits on TLC's CrazySexyCool and appeared on the hook of Da Brat's 1994 hit "Funkdafied." His collaborators also included Janet Jackson, Destiny's Child, and Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who first found her voice singing gospel in her father's church.
For fans and fellow musicians, his songs remain the soundtrack to weddings, heartbreaks, and road trips across generations.
JubileeCast extends its condolences to his family, friends, and all who loved him and his music.
