(April 12, 2026) We are sad to note the passing of Conley “Coy” Abrams III, the Los Angeles-based engineer, mixer, producer, and creative executive who quietly helped shape some of the most important R&B and hip-hop records of the past four decades. Abrams passed away on Thursday, April 2, 2026, after a battle with bone marrow cancer. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their children, and a GoFundMe has been set up to help with burial costs.
Abrams was the kind of musical craftsman whose name you might not find on the marquee, but whose ears and instincts were all over the records you loved. He got his start in the early 1980s under Wayne Henderson of the legendary Jazz Crusaders at Wide Tracks Studio, a foundation that gave him both technical discipline and a deep musician’s sensibility he carried through every project he touched.
From there, Abrams built a career that bridged the traditional studio sounds and the edgier music that arrived in the 1990s and 2000s. His specialty was mixing — particularly radio, club, and remix work — and that put him at the center of what made records hit. His roster of collaborators reads like a who’s-who of the era: Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, P. Diddy, Queen Latifah, Dr. Dre, and Lil Romeo, with work spanning labels from Arista to Sony. By the measure that matters most in this business, he delivered: more than twenty gold and platinum RIAA certifications.
Away from the studio, Abrams was remembered as a devoted husband and loving father. Those who wish to support his family can do so at the GoFundMe organized by Kimberly Abrams, “A Loving Farewell for Conley Coy Abrams III.”
