The Season 25 finale of The Voice was a celebratory night for winner Asher Havon and his coach, Reba McEntire.

But it also honored two very special members of The Voice family who recently passed away: Debra Byrd and Ernie Fields Jr. Byrd was previously honored.

During the first night of Battle Rounds, leaving fans curious about Fields Jr. Who was Ernie Fields Jr. and what was his role on the show? 

Keep reading for everything there is to know about the late musician and how The Voice honored him.

Ernie Fields Jr. was a music contractor for The Voice who died on March 8, 2024, at his home in Pasadena, California. 

He was 89 years old at the time and had worked for the hit competition series up until his death. 

As the show’s music contractor, Fields Jr. hired all of the musicians that performed on the show alongside contestants, coaches and special guests.

During the Season 25 finale, host Carson Daly took a moment to honor him and Debra Byrd, a vocal coach on the show who passed away a few days before Ernie. “We’d also like to take a moment to remember two members of The Voice family that we unfortunately lost this year, the very talented Debra Byrd and Ernie Fields Jr.,” he said. “They were essential to all the music that you hear on this show.” Daly continued: “They both had unrivaled careers in music and entertainment and contributed so much to The Voice. And while they’re no longer with us, they left behind an incredible body of work. They will be missed and always a huge part of our family.”

In addition to his work on The Voice, Fields Jr. was also an accomplished musician with a decades-long career. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Fields Jr. was the son of renowned band leader Ernie Fields Sr., aka the “King of Swing,” who’s career was highlighted in the biography Going Back to T-Town: The Ernie Fields Territory Big Band. After graduating from Howard University in 1960, Fields Jr. took over his father’s band and began touring with The Temptations, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, Sam Cooke and Lionel Hampton, among others. Fields Jr. was skilled in a number of instruments, but he was best known for playing the saxophone.

He went on to become an established session musician in Los Angeles, working with some of the most legendary artists in the industry, including Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Rick James and Fred Wesley.

Fields Jr. was also an advocate for music education and helped coordinate the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s “Jazz in Schools” program. On top of The Voice, the contractor also organized the music for shows like American Idol, The Ellen Show, The Tonight Show and X Factor, according to his website.

He is survived by daughters Michelle Fields Wilson, Lisa Fields Miller and Pamela Williams; sister Carmen Fields and longtime companion Galia Armstrong Dumas, as well as a handful of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Episodes of The Voice can be streamed on Peacock.

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Source: CNN