Dennis Edwards of The Temptations is Seriously Ill

Dennis Edwards, a legendary member of the Temptations, is reportedly in a St. Louis hospital “seriously ill”.

Ken Bedford has said:

“Prayers are needed for singer Dennis Edwards of the Temptations. He was admitted to a St Louis hospital after returning from a concert date in Canada last week. He is seriously ill and I won’t say any more until until his wife releases details. As for now until further information is released please join me in praying for his recovery. Upcoming dates included the OJays in a couple of weeks. I have known Dennis for many years and he along with Chris Arnold also of the Temptations, who lives in Chicago, have been major supporters of my Breast cancer awareness program by performing ‘live’.”

Edwards has been singing since he was two years old, joining the Mighty Clouds of Joy as a teenager. In 1961, he formed the group Dennis Edwards and the Fireballs and, after a sting in the military, auditioned for Motown who eventually put him into the Contours.

In late June 1968, he was brought into the Temptations as a replacement for David Ruffin and was instrumental in the sound of the group through their psychedelic and socially conscious period on hits like Cloud Nine, Ball of Confusion and Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

Dennis was fired from the Temptations when they left Motown for Atlantic in 1977 but rejoined in 1980 upon their return to the label. He stayed until 1984 when the label finally gave him a true shot as a solo artist, scoring a hit with Siedah Garrett on Don’t Look Any Further. He had one more stint with the Temptations from 1987 to 1989 before joining two other former group members, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks in Ruffin/Kendricks/Edwards and, eventually, formed his own The Temptations Review With Dennis Edwards.

Edwards was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Temptations.