Black Celebrity Men

Condolences to the family of legendary soul singer Teddy Pendergrass. Teddy passed away in Philadelphia on Wednesday at the age of 59 after succumbing to complications from colon cancer surgery. According to his son Teddy Pendergrass II, the singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery." His son thanks all the fans of his father's music and says his father will live on through his songs. He says the singer was loved by friends and family worldwide. Yes, indeed. Teddy's music was the truth! My parents loved themselves some TP! Played his music at every house party they had. Teddy, Marvin, Jeffrey Osborne, Luther, The O'Jays, Barry White, Al Green, Earth, Wind and Fire. True R&B soul music legends. It makes me really appreciate the music I grew up on. I wouldn't be surprised if I was conceived during one of their songs! What I admired most about him is that he never let his paralysis define him or deter him from anything. That's a good look. For those who don't know, in 1982 Teddy suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down (with limited use of his arms) when the brakes failed on his Rolls-Royce and he hit a tree while on his way to a party. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album Love Language.

Teddy began his professional singing career as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before embarking on a successful solo career in 1977 with his debut self-titled album. In 2006, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music industry. In 2007, 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 honored those who helped Pendergrass since his accident. Some of Teddy's biggest and most memorable hits included Turn Off the Lights, Love TKO, When Somebody Loves You Back, Whole Town's Laughing at Me, Joy, Close the Door, If You Don't Know Me By Now and Come Go With Me.