Teddy Pendergrass: 1950 - 2010

[MuffyBee]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2010/01/14/GA2010011402096.html


Barbara Johnston-For The Washington Post

Born in 1950 in North Philadelphia, soul singer Teddy Pendergrass became an instant sex symbol in the 1970s and into the early-1980s, thanks to his sultry love ballads. Some of Pendergrass's greatest hits include "Love T.K.O." and "Turn Off the Lights." He died of colon cancer on Jan. 13 at the age of 59.

(Slide Show)

[MuffyBee]

http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/01/14/teddy-pendergrass-dead/

Teddy Pendergrass: Remember the Voice

Youtube- Close the Door

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1629669/20100114/pendergrass_teddy.jhtml

Jan 14 2010 9:17 AM EST
Teddy Pendergrass, Philadelphia Soul Singer, Dead At 59
R&B legend suffered a difficult recovery following colon cancer surgery.

By Gil Kaufman

Teddy Pendergrass (circa 1979)

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Images

One of the world's great soul men, singer Teddy Pendergrass, died at age 59 on Wednesday after a long battle with colon cancer. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Pendergrass, who was paralyzed after a 1982 car accident, died in a Philly hospital eight months after undergoing colon cancer surgery and suffering through a difficult recovery.

In his prime in the 1970s, Pendergrass was one of the premier R&B singers in America, leading Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes to the top of the charts with indelible soul classics such as "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and "I Miss You."
<snip>

[2NJSons_Mom]

Thanks, MuffyBee.....I was about to post something about this but was locked out for a bit.  Here's a local news report:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/singer_teddy_pendergrass_dead_at_8Bwkx3QVi9MKlDkuWPI5SN

 Updated: Thu., Jan. 14, 2010, 1:55 AM 
R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass dead at 59
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Last Updated: 1:55 AM, January 14, 2010

Posted: 1:54 AM, January 14, 2010

PHILADELPHIA — Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B’s reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and ’80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery,” his son said.

“To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” his son said. “He will live on through his music.”

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album “Love Language.”

He briefly returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.

Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released its first single, “I Miss You,” in 1972 and then released “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Gamble remembered Pendergrass fondly and lauded him.

“I think Teddy Pendergrass was really one of a kind of an artist, and his music kind of speaks for him,” Gamble said in an interview early Thursday. “He had such a powerful voice, and he had a great magnetism.”

Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as “Love T.K.O.,” “Close the Door” and “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.

His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.

“Turn Off the Lights” was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass — tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.

Pendergrass, the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums, made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.

But his career was derailed by the car accident, Gamble said.

“He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans,” Gamble said.

However, Pendergrass’ career did not end. He continued to sing and recorded several albums, receiving Grammy nominations; perhaps his best-known hit after his crash was the inspirational song “Life is a Song Worth Singing.”

It was 19 years before Pendergrass resumed performing at his own concerts. He made his return on Memorial Day weekend in 2001, with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City, N.J.

Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren.

[MuffyBee]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2010/01/teddy-pendergrass-funeral-set-for-saturday/1

Teddy Pendergrass funeral set for Jan. 23



Jan 14, 2010
The funeral arrangements for Teddy Pendergrass have been finalized.

The official public viewing for Pendergrass, who died Wednesday, will be held Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2800 West Cheltenham Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19150, his record company has just announced.

The funeral will be held Saturday, Jan. 23 at 10 a.m., also at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. Interment will follow at West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, PA.

Pendergrass, according to the release,  is survived by his mother, Ida Pendergrass; his wife Joan; his children, Teddy Pendergrass II, Trisha Pendergrass and  La Donna Pendergrass; daughters from his marriage to Joan, Sherilla Lestrade and Jessica Avila; and grandchildren Montaurius Driane, Desaray Drane, Teddy Pendergrass III, Alana Nida Sky Pendergrass, Gabriel Gomes, Jasmine Lestrade and Jeremiah Sanford.  He is also survived by his daughter-in-law, Felicia Pendergrass, as well as relatives Francine Pendergrass, Georger Mouzon and Neverland Dent.

The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The Joan & Teddy Pendergrass Memorial, P.O. Box 382, Gladwyne, PA 19035.

[ospainter]

I think I goofed, I started a 2010 Notable Death thread and put Teddy info in there, I will copy it here and someone might want to remove it from the thread I started, sorry..

Soul Singer Teddy Pendergrass Dies at 59

The singer's son said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

PHILADELPHIA -- Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B's reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery," his son said.

"To all his fans who loved his music, thank you," his son said. "He will live on through his music."

Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."

He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is encourage and help people with spinal chord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.

Some of his great music:

close the door teddy pandergrass live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54-9Jvq1Li4&NR=1

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2axbXDjYqA&feature=fvw

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes "If You Don't Know Me By Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ni7LGXW7g&feature=related

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes "WAKE UP EVERYBODY" 1975
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itUrjWNGnZQ&feature=related


R.I.P. Teddy