FILE- In an undated file photo, The Temptations singing group is pictured. From left are; Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin and Glenn Beonard. Back row from left, Richard Street and Dennis Edwards. Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group has died. He was 74. Rosiland Triche Roberts, his longtime booking agent, says Edwards died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 in Chicago after a long illness.
FILE- In an undated file photo, The Temptations singing group is pictured. From left are; Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin and Glenn Beonard. Back row from left, Richard Street and Dennis Edwards. Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group has died. He was 74. Rosiland Triche Roberts, his longtime booking agent, says Edwards died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 in Chicago after a long illness. Lennox McLendon_File AP Photo
FILE- In an undated file photo, The Temptations singing group is pictured. From left are; Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin and Glenn Beonard. Back row from left, Richard Street and Dennis Edwards. Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group has died. He was 74. Rosiland Triche Roberts, his longtime booking agent, says Edwards died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 in Chicago after a long illness. Lennox McLendon_File AP Photo

Celebrities

Dennis Edwards, Temptations singer for 2 decades, dies at 74

By JEFF KAROUB Associated Press

February 03, 2018 07:34 AM

DETROIT

Dennis Edwards, a former member of the famed Motown group The Temptations, has died. He was 74.

Rosiland Triche Roberts, his longtime booking agent, says Edwards died Thursday in Chicago after a long illness.

The Birmingham, Alabama-born Edwards replaced founding member David Ruffin in 1968. His soulful, passionate voice defined the group for years. He was a member on and off for about two decades and part of the lineup that released "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," ''Ball of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)" and "Cloud Nine."

Paul Riser, a Motown arranger and musician, worked with Edwards during the label's Detroit heyday and subsequent projects. He says Edwards possessed a "voice for the ages," with a great range, energy and artistry.

Edwards would have turned 75 on Saturday.