On Wednesday January 13th at 9:59 PM Soul music legend Teddy DeReese Pendergrass died at the age of 59.
The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, says his father died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
The voice behind hits like “Love TKO” underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery.”
Pendergrass’s career began when he was a drummer for The Cadillacs, which soon merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Months later the group signed with Gamble & Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International Records in 1972. The Blue Notes had hits such as “I Miss You,” “Bad Luck,” “Wake Up Everybody,” the two million seller “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and many more.
Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like “The More I Get the More I Want,” “Close the Door,” “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” “Turn Off the Lights” and others.
On March 18, 1982 Pendergrass was involved in an automobile accident when the brakes failed on his Rolls-Royce and he hit a tree. Damage to his spinal cord left him paralyzed from the waist down with limited use of his arms.
Pendergrass was nominated for five Grammys and won two NAACP Image Awards in 1973 and 1980.
