The musician was responsible for hits like 'I Can't Get Next to You' and 'Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.'
Rest in peace, Dennis Edwards.
The lead singer of legendary Motown group The Temptations has died, CBS News reports. His family told the outlet that he was in Chicago at the time of his death. He was 74.
Edwards replaced the Temptations' lead singer, David Ruffin, in 1968, who had replaced original lead singer Elbridge "Al" Bryant. With the Temptations, Edwards lent his voice to hits like "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
The singer parted ways with the Temptations in 1977, joined them briefly in 1980, and left again in 1984 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Don't Look Any Further, reached No. 2 on the R&B charts. He later returned to the Temptations in 1987, but left again just two years later.
In 1976, Edwards married Ruth Pointer of The Pointer Sisters. The couple split in 1977, but had a daughter, Issa Pointer, who later joined her mother's group.
Three-time GRAMMY winner Edwards was remembered by the Recording Academy in a statement to ET on Friday, which praised his help in defining "Detroit soul in the late 1960s as the music of Motwon acts was becoming more socially aware."
"Edwards will forever be remembered as one of Motown's most celebrated vocalists," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow shared. "He will be dearly missed, and our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."
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