Teddy Pendergrass, the velvety-voiced seductive singer who emerged during the golden era of R&B of the 1970s, passed away from cancer in suburban Philadelphia. He was 59.
The singer, lovingly adorned with the nicknames “Teddy Bear” and “T.P.,” soared to legendary status when he became the first black male artist to have his first five albums achieve platinum status, powered by timeless classics like “Turn Out the Lights” and “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.”
The Philadelphia born and bred singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery,” said his son, Teddy Pendergrass II. He finally succumbed to the disease Wednesday evening. “To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” his son said. “He will live on through his music.”
Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was born in 1950 and his mother discovered her son’s talents at an early age. Pendergrass dropped out of school in the 11th grade to pursue his music career, with the church being the incubator for his talents and transcendent success.
Pendergrass’ proficiency at vocals, drums, guitar and piano landed him with the group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Starting out as the drummer, Teddy P’s booming baritone and undeniable stage presence earned him the lead vocals. That and their affiliation with the iconic production duo of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Philadelphia International Records in 1971 catapulted them to the forefront of R&B through the hits “The Love I Lost, “Yesterday I Had the Blues” and Wake Up, Everybody.”
Pendergrass eventually went solo in 1976 and spent the rest of the decade constructing a musical résumé that was unquestionably worthy of Hall of Fame induction.
At the pinnacle of his success and popularity, tragedy struck. In 1982, Pendergrass lost control of his Rolls Royce while driving in his hometown, which resulted in a catastrophic accident that broke his spinal cord and paralyzed him from the waist down. Despite spending six months in the hospital, T.P. came back the next year and dropped the album, Love Language, to critical acclaim. He officially retired from the music game in 2006, but Gamble described why Pendergrass’ magnetism is unforgettable and irreplaceable.
“He was tall, dark and handsome,” Gamble said. “He had a magnetism about him. He was injured 28 years ago and hung in there a long time. He was strong as a bull.”
Teddy Pendergrass is survived by his wife, his mother, a son, two daughters and nine grandchildren.
–terry shropshire
