The music world is in shock. Having woken up this morning to the sad news of the death of music legend Teddy Pendergrass.
The gifted R& B singer, who rocked the 70s with soulful, and often sensual and seductive R&B music, passed away on Wednesday January 13, 2010 – eight months after he had surgery for Colon cancer. He was confirmed dead at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Philadephia. He was aged 59.
Quick Teddy Pendergrass facts
- Born on March 26, 1950 to Ida Geraldine Epps and the late Jesse Pendergrass
- His full names are Theodore DeReese “Teddy” Pendergrass.
- He was a native of Philadelphia, U.S.A.
- His father left when he was young and thus was not part of his life.
- He attended the Thomas Edison School for boys in Philadelphia.
- He dropped out at the eleventh grade to go into music business.
- The church (he started as a drummer) was his initiation for talent and eventual success.
- He gained prominence in the early 70s as a lead singer of the Blue Notes band.
- His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980’s TP and the final Philadelphia international Records album It’s Time for Love (1981).
- Pandergrass was paralysed from the waist down in a car accident in 1982.
- He underwent surgery for colon cancer months ago but had a difficult recorvery.
- He gained prominence in the early 70s as a lead singer of the Blue Notes.
- The group had hit songs like ‘‘if you dont know me by now’’ and ‘‘wake up everybody’.
- He enjoyed sucess a solo musician with ever green hit songs like ‘‘Close the Door’’ and ‘‘Turn Off the Light’’ off his debut album released in 1977.
- Although spending six months in the hospital after his 1982 crash, he was able to return to the studio to record ‘‘Hold Me’’ with Whitney Houston. It turned out a great song off her self-titled 1985 debut effort.
- In 1989, he won a Grammy award in Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category for the song “Joy”.
- Teddy Pendergrass founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance to aid education, employment and overall life-style enhancement of victims of spinal cord injury.
- In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business.
- However, he briefly returned to performing to participate in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25th anniversary awards ceremony that marked Pendergrass’ accident date, but also raised money for his charity, The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, and honoured those who helped Pendergrass since his accident.
- The late singer released 20 albums(1977-2004) in a career spanning thirty-six years.
4 comments
we've lost a gem! he was such a great musician………R.I.P.
Rest in peace. you live on in your works – musical and others.
I cried like a baby after hearing about Teddy,s death. He meant so much to me in more ways than one. I lost a cousin ( Charlie Banks)that I loved more than words could say, this cousin passed away at Emory hospital in Atlanta, Ga in 2001. I still remember it like it was yesterday, his eyes drawn back as i sang a special song to him that reminded me so much of the cousin I called Uncle Charlie, and that song was " You're my latest my greatest inspiration ", he was called upon by God shortly after. I told my nine year old son who was comforting me that one thing Uncle Charlie and Teddy had in common was, they were both paralysed from the waist down, but guess what there is no need for wheelchairs in Heaven.
I love you always "Uncle Charlie"
I love you always "Teddy Pendergrass"
What a wonderful life…, Mr. Pendergrass was a musician, background singer, lead singer and soloist. But more important he was a husband, father and grandfather. He was a light for people with and without disabilities, as he never let his get him down.
The proof of his worth was displayed at his “going home'' (funeral).
People traveled from all over to pay their last respects to his “Light''. I can hear our God saying, “My good and faithful son, a job well done!''