 {{infobox musical artist | name = eric benÃ©t | image = eric benet.jpg | caption = benÃ©t in 2008 | background = solo_singer | birth_name = eric jordan | birth_date =  |birth_place =milwaukee, wisconsin united states | spouse =  {{marriagemanuela testolini|2011}} | genre = r&b, soul, neo soul | instrument = vocals, piano, guitar, keyboards | occupation = musician, songwriter, actor | years_active = 1984âpresent | label = warner bros. (1994-2004)friday/reprise (2005-2010)jordan house/emi(2011-2013)jordan house/primary wave music (2014-present) | website =www.ericbenet.net }} eric benÃ©t jordan (born october 15, 1966), known professionally as eric benÃ©t, is an american r&b and neo soul singer-songwriter, who has received a total of four grammy nominations to date for his musical work. ==biography== benÃ©t was his mother's maiden name, and he was born in mobile, alabama and raised in milwaukee, wisconsin, and is the youngest of five siblings. benÃ©t sang with a top 100-style group called gerard in the late 1980s. benÃ©t, his sister lisa, and his cousin george nash jr. formed a band called benÃ©t and released a self-titled album in 1992, and it went on to sell over 100,000 copies. two years later, eric benÃ©t broke onto the music scene with his solo career and signed with warner bros. records, releasing his debut solo album, true to myself in 1996. his sophomore album, a day in the life, was released in 1999 and featured his smash hit "spend my life with you (featuring tamia)", which rose to #1 on the us billboard r&b charts (for 3 weeks), was certified gold, and nominated for a 2000 grammy award for âbest r&b performance by a duo or groupâ. the album also won a soul train music award for âbest r&b/soul album, maleâ. benÃ©t's career, however, was interrupted by a series of personal tragedies. his father died of cancer. in addition, his girlfriend tami marie stauff died on april 24, 1993 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident, leaving eric a single father to their then-one year old daughter, india (born 1991). he married actress halle berry in january 2001, but by early october 2003 they had separated, with the divorce finalized in january 2005.{{cite news | url = http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20148116,00.html | title = eric benÃ©t's confessions | work = [[people (
1966_births African-American_singers American_male_singer-songwriters American_rhythm_and_blues_singers Living_people Neo_soul_singers People_from_Milwaukee,_Wisconsin Warner_Bros._Records_artists