Dennis Edwards, The Grammy Award-winning singer was lately suffering from meningitis diet on Thursday at the age of 74.Edwards was living with his wife Brenda Edwards in Florissant in the St. Louis area.He had been in and out of hospitals since a May 2017 diagnosis.
Edwards was the sixth member of Temptations lineup comprising of David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Otis Williams.He was known for his rough-and-tough voice that helped the Temptations through its funk-psychedelic period on classic tunes such as “Cloud Nine,” “Ball of Confusion, “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” and “I Can't Get Next to You.” The band won Grammy for “Cloud Nine” and “Papa Was a Rollin' Stone” .Their band, The Temptations, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Ronald Isley was a longtime friend of Edwards and he used to call him one of the greats of our time.He said Edwards was gifted and talented and did justice with his talent.They met in 1965 when their bands were working hard to make their place in the music world.Isley was well aware of Edwards being not well, said “we prayed for him and hoped he would get himself together and be able to come back. But he's with the Lord now.”
Many other renowned musicians paid tribute to him which include names like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Roland Martin and the Pointer Sisters (Edwards was married to Ruth Pointer for a short time in 1977).
Erika Thomas, his daughter, says her father was loving, full of life and positivity.He was always in love with St. Louis, where he moved in the 1880s to be closer to his mother.Once he said“St. Louis is the best thing that ever happened to me, “I needed that peace in my life. And I've always been a semi-country boy.”
Edwards, was born in 1943, afterward, he moved to Detroit when he was a young boy and joined Motown group the Contours in the 1960s.When David left the Temptations he joined the band. In an interview, he said “I had been hearing rumors about David and drugs and alcohol. One morning at 4 a.m. he knocked on my door. I said, ‘David it's 4 o'clock.’ He said, ‘I'm leaving the Temptations, and they're gonna ask you to replace me.’”
Talking about temptations he had good and bad times while being part of temptations, he said “I never imagined I'd be one of the last ones standing, me and Otis,” he said. “We really got caught up in the times, and how the heck did I make it? We dibbled and dabbled with alcohol and drugs. But it's important for people to know if you change your lifestyle and wake up, there is hope. I had a mother who prayed for me, and prayer changes everything.”During all this, he also focused on a solo career and gave a hit in the form of “Don't Look Any Further” with Siedah Garrett in 1984.
His solo career also included “(You're My) Aphrodisiac” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”
He had many conflicts with his group mates and once he changed the name of group as well to Temptations Review.
His family members include his wife, daughters Issa Pointer of Rhode Island, Maya Peacock of Ohio, Denise Edwards, Alison Turner and Erika Thomas; son Bernard Hubbard of Indiana; his grandchildren and relatives.