Dennis Edwards, the former lead singer of the legendary Motown group The Temptations, has died at the age of 74, his family confirmed to CBS News.
Edwards, a Detroit native, died in Chicago on Friday, though his family did not reveal a cause of death. He would have been 75 on Saturday.
Edwards joined The Temptations from The Contours, another Motown group, in 1968. He sang on a string of The Temptations’ hit songs throughout the ’60s and ’70s, including “Cloud Nine” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” both of which won Grammy Awards for the group.
He left and returned to The Temptations numerous times through his career. In 1984, he left the group to launch a solo career with the album “Don’t Look Any Further,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts.
Edwards was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of The Temptations in 1989.