Grammy-winning Oak Cliff native Shaun Martin died Aug. 3 at age 45, just 20 days shy of his 46th birthday. The cause of death is unknown. Martin had been battling an undisclosed illness for several months.
Martin is survived by his wife, Monica, and his son Harlem.
An alum of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Weatherford College and the University of North Texas, Martin — an acclaimed producer, arranger, composer and musician — was primarily associated with Denton-based Snarky Puppy, which counted him among its ranks. He also served musical director for fellow North Texan Kirk Franklin and frequently collaborated with Erykah Badu, including producing her 2000 sophomore album Mama’s Gun.
Martin won seven Grammy awards throughout his too-short life — four of them for his work with Franklin, and three for his work with Snarky Puppy, including sharing in a 2023 Grammy win for best contemporary instrumental album (the band's Empire Central, which was cut live over eight days at Deep Ellum Art Company).
Born and raised in Oak Cliff, Martin began playing music at age 4. He ultimately became proficient in multiple instruments, including the piano, drums, keyboards, clarinet and Minimoog.
You can get a sense of his versatility and ferocious musical ability in the 31-minute clip Martin recorded for Korg’s Solo Sessions at an Arlington studio. See the video below:
As a solo artist, Martin released three gospel albums, starting with his debut, 7Summers, in 2015 and his last album, Three-0, in 2020. Averaging over 130,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, his biggest singles were “The Yellow Jacket,” “Soundcheck and Whatnots” and “Madiba.” The albums reflected his deeply rooted journey through gospel music and exploration of faith.
“Shaun is one of my dear friends,” guitarist Mark Lettieri told the Observer’s Alyssa Fields just days before Martin’s death. “Beyond that, he’s such an icon to the DFW music scene. He has mentored so many young artists. He’s an absolute legend.”
Snarky Puppy, with whom Martin had toured briefly in 2023, shared a remembrance of Martin on Instagram.
Elsewhere, the outpouring of grief on social media channels was immediate and intense.
To one of the illest, @Shunwun. So influential to my time. Thank you and rest well
— Mel Smith (@iamMelsmith) August 4, 2024
Kirk Franklin posted an Instagram video showing him collaborating with Martin, with Franklin hugging the musician and saying, “I missed him so much.” He captioned the post “So unfair.”My heart is completely broken. Today, one of the best musicians of all-time, (in Dallas, or ANYWHERE) Shaun Martin passed away. As a man, he was extremely humble, caring, and cool, and as a pianist he was a force!
— A.T. The Dallas Nightlife Ambassador (@OhThatsAT) August 4, 2024
RIP Shaun Martin @Shunwun pic.twitter.com/mhQRaAIcXh
The previously planned Sept. 14 tribute to Martin, orchestrated by longtime friend and collaborator RC Williams, is, as of now, still scheduled to take place at the Bruton Theatre, with appearances by Badu, Norah Jones, Robert Glasper and many more. Tickets for that event are on sale now.
“This is not a gig to me; it’s a celebration of our friend,” Lettieri told the Observer. “He defined the sound of this area.”
