Search “Raquel Capelton” and one of the first results describes her as an actress who played “Dizzy Flores” in the 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers. The role of Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers was played by Dina Meyer. This is not a minor error. It is a provably, verifiably wrong claim that anyone can confirm in under thirty seconds.
The real Raquel Capelton is the wife of O’Jays singer Eddie Levert. She has been married to him for two decades. She watched her husband lose two sons — Gerald in 2006 and Sean in 2008 — and then she lost her own daughter Ryan in December 2024. Ryan Levert was twenty-two years old. She died from lupus.
That is the actual record. Not fictional film credits.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Raquel Capelton |
| Born | Disputed: May 31, 1969 (most sources); some say 1950; Forbes Network says August 12, 1972 (likely fabricated — see below) |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African American (Norvadel, consistent with family context) |
| Husband | Eddie Levert (born June 16, 1942, Bessemer, Alabama) — O’Jays lead vocalist |
| Married | 2005 (Encyclopedia.com, multiple solid sources; some say 2008 or 1991) |
| Daughter with Eddie | Ryan Levert (born approximately 2002; died December 2024, aged 22, from lupus) |
| Stepchildren | Eddie Jr. Levert, Kandice Levert (via Eddie’s first marriage to Martha Byrd); Gerald Levert (died 2006); Sean Levert (died 2008) |
| Current residence | Las Vegas, Nevada (multiple sources); some say Los Angeles |
| Social media | None confirmed |
| Eddie Levert’s net worth | Estimated $18 million (multiple sources; her personal finances undisclosed) |
The Forbes Network Article — A Direct Fabrication, Proven
This section comes first because it affects how any researcher approaches Raquel Capelton’s profile.
ForbesNetwork.co.uk published a biography of Raquel Capelton describing her as an actress born August 12, 1972, in Los Angeles, of “Spanish and Italian descent.” It claims she played “Dizzy Flores” in the 1997 film Starship Troopers and had a role in Eyes Wide Shut in 1999. It says she danced in music videos for Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and NSYNC.
Every significant claim in that paragraph is either unverifiable or provably wrong.
Dizzy Flores in Starship Troopers was played by Dina Meyer. This is not a matter of interpretation. Meyer is credited and documented in every record of that film — IMDB, contemporaneous reviews, and the film’s own credits. Raquel Capelton’s name does not appear anywhere in the Starship Troopers cast.
Eyes Wide Shut had a tightly controlled production under Stanley Kubrick. The cast is exhaustively documented. Raquel Capelton does not appear in any verified source as having a role in that film.
The article appears to be AI-generated content written for a fictional or different person and published under this name. It should be disregarded entirely. Any profile article that repeats the Starship Troopers claim has not checked the facts.
Who Eddie Levert Is — The Context Raquel Entered
Understanding Raquel’s life requires understanding the man she married and the family she married into.
Eddie Levert — born Edward Levert on June 16, 1942, in Bessemer, Alabama — is the lead vocalist of the O’Jays, one of the most influential soul groups in American music history. The group formed in Canton, Ohio in the early 1960s. Their Philadelphia International Records albums in the 1970s produced some of the era’s most recognized tracks — “Back Stabbers” (1972), “Love Train” (1973), and “For the Love of Money” (1973).
The O’Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Eddie Levert has performed across six decades. He has recorded solo albums and collaborated extensively with his son Gerald.
He married Martha Byrd in 1966. Together they had four children: Eddie Jr., Gerald, Sean, and Kandice. The marriage ended in divorce.
He married Raquel Capelton in 2005.
Three Children Dead Before Him
This is the most documented, most consequential fact in the family history Raquel Capelton shares.
Gerald Levert — Eddie’s son from his marriage to Martha Byrd, a Grammy-nominated R&B singer who fronted the group Levert and later went solo — died on November 10, 2006. He was forty years old. The cause was an accidental overdose of prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Sean Levert — Gerald’s younger brother, also an R&B singer — died on March 30, 2008. He was thirty-nine years old. He died in a Cuyahoga County jail cell after being held for failure to pay child support.
Ryan Levert — Eddie and Raquel’s daughter, their child together — died in late December 2024. She was twenty-two years old. She had been fighting lupus. Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues.
The death was confirmed by Carlysia Levert — Gerald’s daughter, Ryan’s niece — via Instagram, asking followers to “send extra love up for my papa and nana.” Radio personality Donnie Simpson also confirmed the death publicly, saying: “I was heartbroken to learn that Eddie Levert’s 22-year-old daughter, Ryan, passed from lupus this weekend. Every parent’s greatest fear is the loss of a child and this is the third time Eddie has had to deal with this unimaginable pain.”
Ryan appeared on a podcast called The Levert Opinion with her father and her nephew LeMicah Levert, Gerald’s son. She was the youngest of Eddie’s known children. She was Raquel’s daughter.
What Eddie Said About Raquel During the Losses
Eddie Levert has spoken about Raquel in the context of surviving the loss of Gerald and Sean. The quote is documented and consistent across multiple sources.
He said of his wife at the time: “Her stability helped me get through all of that. She’s been a rock for me, a real live crutch I can lean on. She helps keep me focused. She says that I still have a purpose here, that I still have things that I have to do.”
He said this while Raquel was beside him through two consecutive losses — a son lost to an overdose, then a son who died in a jail cell two years later. Both were his children from his first marriage. Both died at approximately the same age. He lost them two years apart.
Then in 2020, Martha Byrd — his first wife and the mother of Gerald and Sean — also died.
And in late 2024, Ryan died.
Raquel was present through all of it after 2005.
The Marriage Year — Three Different Dates, One Authoritative Source
This is the clearest factual conflict in the secondary record on Raquel.
Encyclopedia.com — a reference database that cites primary biographical sources — states: “married Raquel Capelton, 2005.” This is the most directly sourced date available.
TheBiographyBytes states they have been married “for over 30 years since tying the knot in 1991.” As of 2024, thirty years from 1991 would be accurate. But 2005 is also confirmed. These two dates cannot both be right.
MarriedWiki says Eddie “is married to his current wife, Raquel Capelton, since 2008.” Three different years: 1991, 2005, 2008.
The 2005 date from Encyclopedia.com is the most authoritative. It also aligns with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction year — also 2005 — which multiple articles connect to this period of Eddie’s life. The 1991 and 2008 claims appear in secondary sources without cited evidence.
The Number of Children Contradiction
This is the most tangled claim in the record on Raquel.
Some sources say she and Eddie have one child together: Ryan. This is supported by Essence, SoapCentral, and the Jacksonville Free Press — all of which report Ryan’s death and identify her specifically as Eddie and Raquel’s daughter.
TheBiographyBytes says the couple has three daughters together — Brittany, Carlysia, and Landra — plus a son named Bryan that Raquel brought into the marriage from a previous relationship.
Here is the problem with that claim: Carlysia Levert is Gerald Levert’s daughter. She confirmed Ryan’s death on Instagram. She described Ryan as her family and called Eddie her “papa.” Carlysia is Eddie’s granddaughter through Gerald — not a daughter of Raquel.
The list of children attributed to Raquel by TheBiographyBytes appears to have confused grandchildren and stepchildren with biological children. The more carefully sourced accounts identify Ryan as the child shared by Eddie and Raquel.
Whether Raquel brought a son named Bryan into the marriage is mentioned in one source only and is not confirmed or denied anywhere else.
The Birth Year Problem — A 22-Year Spread
Three birth years exist for Raquel in the public record.
FamousIntel says she is “around 73 years old as of 2023,” placing her birth around 1950.
InformationCradle and Norvadel both say she was born in 1969 — May 31 specifically, or “June 1” depending on the article.
The fabricated Forbes Network article says August 12, 1972.
The 1950 birth year would make her 27 years younger than Eddie (born 1942). The 1969 birth year would make her 27 years younger. The 1972 year would make her 30 years younger.
The 1969 or 1950 dates appear in sources focused on the real Raquel. The 1972 date belongs to the fabricated actress profile. Neither the 1950 nor 1969 date has been confirmed by a primary source. Both are estimates based on appearance and marriage context.
Given Ryan was born approximately 2002 and was 22 at death, Raquel would have been approximately 32-33 (if born 1969) or 52 (if born 1950) when Ryan was born. The 1969 date is more biologically consistent with a 2002 birth.
What Is Actually Known vs. What Is Not
Confirmed from authoritative sources:
- Wife of Eddie Levert, O’Jays lead vocalist
- Married 2005 (Encyclopedia.com)
- Daughter Ryan Levert died December 2024 at age 22 from lupus — confirmed by Essence, family members
- Ryan appeared on The Levert Opinion podcast with Eddie
- Stepmother to Eddie Jr., Kandice, Gerald (d. 2006), and Sean (d. 2008) Levert
- Eddie credited her with keeping him grounded through the deaths of Gerald and Sean
- Lives in Las Vegas (most sources) or Los Angeles (some sources)
- No confirmed social media presence
Disputed or unclear:
- Birth year: 1950, 1969, or 1972 — none confirmed by primary source
- Exact number of children with Eddie (one confirmed — Ryan; some sources claim more)
- Whether she has a son named Bryan from a prior relationship
- Her background, education, and pre-marriage life — entirely undocumented
Actively fabricated in at least one source:
- Played “Dizzy Flores” in Starship Troopers (1997) — that role was played by Dina Meyer, not Raquel Capelton
- “Spanish and Italian descent” — contradicts African American identification in more reliable sources
- Danced in videos for Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, NSYNC — no evidence
- Born August 12, 1972 in Los Angeles — inconsistent with Eddie Levert wife context
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FAQ — 12 Real Questions
1. Who is Raquel Capelton?
She is the wife of Eddie Levert, lead vocalist of the O’Jays — one of the foundational Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They married in 2005. She has lived through her husband losing two sons, losing his first wife, and in December 2024, losing their own daughter Ryan at age twenty-two.
2. Did she play a role in Starship Troopers?
No. The claim comes from a single fabricated source. The character “Dizzy Flores” in Starship Troopers (1997) was played by Dina Meyer. Raquel Capelton has no documented acting credits in that film or any other major Hollywood production.
3. When was she born?
Unknown with certainty. Most sources targeting her as Eddie Levert’s wife say 1969 — with May 31 as a specific date in two sources. One source says 1950. The 1972 date belongs to a fabricated profile. No birth certificate or primary source has confirmed any of these.
4. When did she and Eddie Levert marry?
2005, per Encyclopedia.com — the most authoritative source. Other sites say 1991 or 2008. The 2005 date is better sourced and more consistent with the family timeline.
5. How did Ryan Levert die?
Ryan Levert, Eddie and Raquel’s daughter, died in late December 2024 at the age of twenty-two from lupus — an autoimmune disease. The death was confirmed by family members on social media and by radio personality Donnie Simpson.
6. How many children has Eddie Levert lost?
Three. Gerald Levert (son from first wife Martha Byrd) died in November 2006 at forty from an accidental prescription drug overdose. Sean Levert (also son from Martha Byrd) died in March 2008 at thirty-nine in a jail cell while held for unpaid child support. Ryan Levert (daughter with Raquel) died in December 2024 at twenty-two from lupus.
7. What did Eddie say about Raquel’s support?
He said: “Her stability helped me get through all of that. She’s been a rock for me, a real live crutch I can lean on.” This quote was made in the context of surviving the deaths of Gerald and Sean.
8. Is Carlysia Levert Raquel’s daughter?
No. Carlysia Levert is the daughter of Gerald Levert — making her Eddie’s granddaughter. At least one source incorrectly lists her as Raquel’s daughter. Carlysia confirmed Ryan’s death on Instagram, calling Eddie her “papa.”
9. What is Raquel’s ethnicity?
Described as African American in the sources that focus specifically on her. The “Spanish and Italian descent” claim comes from the fabricated Forbes Network actress profile and should be disregarded.
10. Where does she live?
Most sources say Las Vegas, Nevada, where she lives with Eddie. At least one source says Los Angeles. The Las Vegas claim is more consistently cited.
11. What is known about her background before marrying Eddie?
Almost nothing. Her parents are not identified in any source. Her education is undocumented. One source claims she brought a son named Bryan into the marriage from a prior relationship — this appears in a single source and is not confirmed elsewhere.
12. Does she have any public presence?
No. She has no confirmed social media accounts, no recorded interviews, and no public statements in any documented source. Her presence in the public record comes entirely through her husband and through the death of their daughter in 2024.