Soulobit: Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass, who had been ill for some time, has died, his son has confirmed.

Pendergrass' breakthrough came as one of the Blue Notes, stood behind Harold Melvin. In 1975 he went solo. A string of R&B hits followed, including this, Love TKO:



He was the first black artist to have a run of five platinum albums, but his run of good luck was cut brutally short when, in 1982, he suffered a major car accident. Paralyzed as a result, Teddy would return to music just a year later. His comeback was crowned with a stint as part of the American leg of Live Aid, but this would be a rare live performance. It wasn't until 2001 that he would appear on stage with a full show and, while the accident didn't stop his creativity, the after-effects were enough to prevent him properly promoting his work. The result was a late career which never quite lived up to the pre-accident promise.

Pendergrass had had colon surgery eight months ago; his recovery had proved difficult. Teddy Pendergrass was 59.