The Life of Phyllis Hyman Derailed by Her Own Demons
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Phyllis Hyman was a formidable vocal talent, blessed with a velvet voice, towering stage presence, and an emotional depth that resonated with audiences across genres. Born in Philadelphia in 1949, she carved out a career in soul, jazz, and R&B, earning acclaim for hits such as “You Know How to Love Me” and “Living All Alone.”
But behind the music was a woman grappling with mental health struggles, substance dependency, and the pressures of a recording industry that often failed to support artists like her.
Tragically, Hyman’s life was cut short in 1995 when she died by suicide at the age of 45, just days before a scheduled performance at the Apollo Theater. In the decades since, her story has come to symbolise both the brilliance and the burden that can accompany artistic genius. This article retraces her journey, from breakout success to untimely death.
Early Years: From Philadelphia to the Club Circuit
Born in Philadelphia on 7 July 1949 and raised mostly in Pittsburgh, Phyllis Hyman was the eldest of seven children. She found her calling in the high-school chorus and won a music scholarship for college before heading south to Miami, where she earned a living covering jazz and pop standards in local clubs.

By the mid-1970s Hyman had formed her own group, PH Factor, and relocated to New York City. Her commanding stage presence quickly made her a fixture on the club circuit.
A pivotal encounter with jazz-R&B producer Norman Connors led to a remake of The Stylistics’ “Betcha by Golly Wow”, propelling her to a contract with Buddah Records and, soon after, Arista.
Chart Success
Under Arista chief Clive Davis, Hyman scored her first R&B Top 15 hit in 1979 with the dance-floor favourite “You Know How to Love Me”. Yet tensions grew. Davis steered her toward crossover pop; Hyman preferred sophisticated soul and jazz.

Their creative tug-of-war intensified when Arista signed a young Whitney Houston in 1984, and Hyman was quietly dropped.
Undeterred, Phyllis Hyman signed with Philadelphia International Records and issued the aching ballad “Living All Alone” (1986), a track whose raw emotion mirrored her private battles. She also dazzled on Broadway: the Duke Ellington revue Sophisticated Ladies earned her a Tony nomination in 1981.
Private Struggles
Offstage, Hyman fought bipolar disorder, alcohol dependency and cocaine use—an addiction friends say began during her marriage to manager Larry Alexander (1977–82). Therapy and rehab offered brief reprieves, but loneliness and career frustrations persisted.
“Being a woman in this industry is very lonely,” she said in a 1994 interview. “There is no such thing as a male groupie—at least not one I would date.”
On 30 June 1995, hours before she was due to perform at the Apollo Theater, Hyman’s assistant found her unconscious in her Manhattan apartment. She had taken a fatal dose of sleeping pills. A note read: “I’m tired. I’m tired… May God bless you.” She died in hospital that afternoon, six days shy of 46.