Phyllis Hyman

The Phyllis Hyman article on Wikipedia

Phyllis Linda Hyman (1949 - 1995) was a R&B, soul, jazz, and disco singer active ca. 1974 - 1995. She was best known for the songs You Know How to Love Me and Living All Alone, in addition to her performances on Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies. Like Alicia Keys, she usually sang in the Contralto vocal range. Her professional career was cut short on June 30, 1995 by her act of suicide, a consequence of suffering from Bipolar Disorder. She had a total of ten albums, two released posthumously.

Connection to Alicia Keys
Since Alicia Keys did not begin her music career until 1996 when Phyllis had already died, there was no direct connection between them. However, Alicia did work with Earle Hyman, a third cousin of Phyllis, on an episode of The Cosby Show in 1985.