“I don’t wish you no bad luck, baby. I don’t wish you no strain”
– D’Wayne Wiggins, “Whatever You Want”
It was a summer afternoon in 2019 when an R&B music icon, myself and some other homies were playing dominoes with actual leather “bones,” eating dim sum and enjoying a nice bottle of wine at a dope Chinese restaurant in San Jose’s Santana Row. It was a stressless day of trash-talking, fellowship and just some Bay Area dudes hanging out. After it was over, I drove back to Oakland in the superstar’s vintage drop top, listening to soul music. No agenda. Just good vibes.
A couple of days later, one of the homies asked, “Hey, was that one of the guys from Tony! Toni! Toné hanging out with us? I thought it might be him, but he never said anything about who he was.”
Yes, that was him. That was how D’Wayne Wiggins rolled.
Wiggins was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! The proud Oakland, California native was a guitarist, producer, composer, philanthropist and mentor to many in the music industry. Tony! Toni! Toné! starred Wiggins, his brother and singer Raphael Saadiq and his cousin and pianist Timothy Riley. The trio dropped such soulful classics as “Anniversary,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California),” “(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow,” and “Feels Good,” amongst others.
Wiggins also produced and helped grow some young female artists who would become today’s biggest music and entertainment stars. He worked with Destiny’s Child, Alicia Keys, Keyshia Cole, Zendaya, H.E.R. and Kehlani, among others. Wiggins taught them about stage presence, the business side of music, how to do interviews and much more. It was always important for Wiggins to showcase young artists, as he often had them open for him when he performed.
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On March 7, however, Wiggins died after a long battle with bladder cancer. He was 64. I was privileged enough to have known about his health issue for a while, actually unbeknownst to him, and kept my word never to ask him about it. And with good vibes always being first and foremost with him, he never revealed anything or spoke about his pain with me.
“Through this fight, he remained committed and present for his family, his music, his fans and his community,” Wiggins’ family said in a statement announcing his death on social media.
Left to right: Marc Spears, Gary Payton Sr., and D’Wayne Wiggins at KARIBU by Wachira Wine Bar in Alameda, Calif. in 2023.
Marc Spears
Left to right: D’Wayne Wiggins, jazz great Branford Marsalis and Marc Spears together after Marsalis’ concert in San Francisco in 2024.
Marc Spears
Wiggins and I became friends after a chance meeting at a birthday party for our friend Kim Bardakian in Oakland Hills in 2018. I had been a huge Tony! Toni! Toné! fan since they arrived on the scene in the late 1980s and could recite just about every song, from their hits to the B-sides. I introduced myself and offered high respect. Wiggins wasn’t a big sports fan, but was somehow familiar with my work as a journalist covering the NBA and as a Bay Area figure.
We became quick friends. Over the years, we hung out at countless East Bay Area restaurants, celebrated New Year’s 2024 with friends, made our own wine as winemakers for a day at Raymond Vineyards, stopped through Martha’s Vineyard, and he even attended my induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023 when I won the Curt Gowdy Award. Wiggins even sang “Whatever You Want,” at a surprise Hall of Fame party for me in Oakland in 2023.
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I had the honor of interviewing Tony! Toné! Toni! at Saadiq’s studio in Los Angeles ahead of their first tour in 30 years. We also filmed interviews then for a budding documentary on Wiggins that certainly has even deeper meaning now. I attended concerts in Dallas and San Francisco for the sensational Raphael Saddiq Revisits Tony! Toni! Tone! Just Me And You Tour 2023. Wiggins also put a Hall of Fame picture of me in the tour’s intro video that showcased Bay Area greats of all genres, which meant the absolute world to me.
“That was the best concert I ever saw,” Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II told me recently. “I didn’t know (Wiggins) was sick. I can’t believe he is gone.”
Marc Spears (right) joins D’Wayne Wiggins backstage after a Tony! Toni! Toné! concert.
Marc Spears
On November 17, 2023, my wife and I joined Wiggins, his dedicated and caring wife, Dori, then-San Francisco mayor London Breed and others for a pre-concert meal ahead of a tour stop at The Masonic in San Francisco. Not knowing what was to come for Wiggins, it ended up being the last show for Tony! Toni! Toné! Backstage in Wiggins’ dressing room, I was there when Breed gave the group a proclamation from the City of San Francisco. I put on his giant, Dr. Seuss-looking hats in his dressing room for fun before the show began, which certainly looked much better on me than him.
I will never forget seeing Wiggins spark on stage that night. He was dressed eclectically, as usual, with his signature nerdy glasses, unique hat, and ’70s retro outfit, with incense burning from his guitar. As his individual portion of the show was to start, he took in the moment and stoically stared at the crowd before he played a note from one of his popular ballads. As the crowd roared in appreciation and gave a standing ovation, Wiggins appeared to become overwhelmed with gratitude.
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Wiggins might have been all of 5-foot-6 unless he was boosted by wearing some boots. But he owned the stage with the presence of a music giant, with his elite guitar skills, singing, and personality, which fit the song of that moment. It was amazing to see how relaxed and chill he was without a hint of nervousness just minutes before showtime. And once the show started, he put on his Superman cape and made his presence known and remembered with his performance.
Off the stage, Wiggins was easygoing with an amazing sense of humor and a sly laugh. He gave me a hard time after watching an episode of my Hulu television show, The Conversations Project, in which I stated that sugar belongs on grits. We’d jokingly debate this issue on a regular basis, and I suggested that he put it in a song. One day, I got a video of him freestyling a makeshift song called “Sugar don’t go on grits,” in a sound check during the Tony! Toné! Toni! tour.
My favorite memory, which defined the humble, cool man Wiggins was, occurred at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies. He and Dori flew across the country to attend my induction. It meant a lot to me that Wiggins truly enjoyed the ceremony, taking in every word from the speeches.
I was invited to fellow Hoop Hall of Fame inductee Tony Parker’s party after I gave my speech, but I didn’t go because I had a group of 20-plus people with me. Wiggins celebrated my honor by buying the crew a round of tequila to salute me at a dinner. He had an amazing way of making everyone feel like they were a friend and on his level, even if they’d only met him once. My crew next hung out at a party the National Basketball Retired Players’ Association was giving when we realized Wiggins was nowhere to be found.
About 30 minutes later, Wiggins arrived at the party with a Cheshire grin. I asked him where he’d been, and he said he had snuck into Tony Parker’s party and enjoyed the food, drinks, and everyone speaking French. But suddenly, he got kicked out because no one recognized him. So, in essence, a founding member of Tony! Toni! Toné! got kicked out of Tony Parker’s party.
So why didn’t he tell him who he was?
“Man, that’s not my style,” Wiggins said with a smile.
His style was always extreme humility and resounding joy. He was certainly present in the moment, would say don’t listen to chirping birds about useless stress, was bright in the spotlight and truly enjoyed life. His legacy will live on with everyone through his music. But more importantly, Wiggins will live on in the hearts of everyone who ever had a chance to spend time with him.
I love you, brother. The world won’t be the same without you, but your music and the beautiful way you lived will live with me and countless others you touched forever.
Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.
