After his death, Sapia would add "Ruffin" to her last name in tribute to their relationship, and for continuity with her son. Please read some of the comments and leave your comments on this video. In 1964, America welcomed a British invasion. It contained the song "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby", which made the lower parts of the Billboard Hot 100 (#68) and was a Top 30 hit on the R&B Charts, peaking at #27. Weeks after the tour ended, David was dropped off at a Philadelphia hospital and an hour later the man who sang the biographical tune "Statue Of a Fool" from every bit of his heart and soul was pronounced dead. He was Still under contract at Motown, though, and his solo career got off to a promising start with the ballad "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me"). That year, longtime Temptations fans Hall & Oates teamed up with Ruffin and Kendrick to perform at the re-opening of the Apollo Theater in New York. He became addicted to cocaine and began missing rehearsals and performances. Ruffin's children further stated that his body was claimed by one of them within a few days of his death. Rapper Machine Gun Kelly also referenced the singer on his 2013 song "See My Tears" stating: "Fought every temptation shit, I guess I'm David Ruffin, huh?" In this video produced in 2018, she tells her TRUTH about the death of her dad David Ruffin. [6] Ruffin's mother died from complications of childbirth ten months after his birth in 1941; and his father later married Earline, a schoolteacher, in 1942. Ruffin was married three times and had four children: Cheryl, Nedra, David Jr. and Mone. Surviving members of the Temptations sang "My Girl". In 1982, Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks re-joined the Temptations for the recording of their album Reunion and a tour to promote the album. David Ruffin Jr. was busted by LAPD. [46] In 1989, he was ordered to enter a drug rehabilitation center after violating his probation three times. I couldn't do it myself, so I made him do it.". Leaving home at 13 to pursue the ministry, it was David's select showmanship that caught the eyes of some in the secular music industry. But the frontman most associated with the Temptations' heyday was David Ruffin. Correction: David Ruffin was only married twice - to Saundra Ruffin and Joy Hamilton, respectively. yes David Ruffin has Children he has four of them; Kimberly, David jr., Cheryl, and Nedra He thought he had one more child and she is now 28 her name is Lisa Ann. In July 1968 he was replaced by Dennis Edwards, while he started a solo career. As a solo artist, it would prove to be Ruffin's last significant chart appearance in America for many years, and his last significant charting record for Motown in the US. [6] Ruffin was portrayed by Lamman Rucker in the 1998 mini-series The Temptations. Ruffin denied making threats and was released on his own recognizance. As recounted in Mary Wells: The Tumultuous Life of Motown's First Superstar, they frequently argued and Griffin cheated with a prostitute.Disturbingly, he also forced Wells to terminate two pregnancies "because of [her] career." They divorced in 1963 and in 1964 Wells parted ways with Motown because she felt the company underpaid . Ruffin had a stormy relationship with singer Tammi Terrell, and later had a relationship with Gail Martin. Few of the songs charted and he blamed Motown for not properly promoting his music. [29] He had finished recording the single "Hurt the One You Love" for Motorcity Records. Also a heavy smoker, Wells developed laryngeal cancer, which destroyed her voice. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. [39], In 1978, Ruffin was arrested at a birthday party in Memphis. Jamerson later got snubbed at Motown's 25th anniversary and was barred from going backstage. But his fixation on all things youthful may have betrayed something sinister. In 1957, Ruffin met Berry Gordy Jr., then a songwriter with ambitions of running his own label. The 58-year-old Detroiter was admitted to Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oaks on Mother's. [6], He then left Motown, and recorded for the Polydor and Chess labels,[7] where he recorded "Tell Me What You Want." There, they played at the Fifty Grand Ballroom and Casino. Stay healthy.'" he been using to many drugs of cocaine and it's sad that he died like this. The son of late Temptations singer, David Ruffin, has been very instrumental in some of the most timeless rap songs from the 90's. His name is David Ruffin Jr. and he is not only a song-writer, but a singer like his Dad as well. Of course, his father was the Temptations' lead singer from 1964 to 1968.http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/11/david-ruffin-junior-arrested-domestic-violence-temptations/http://www.wochit.com Among those hit-makers was James Jamerson. His father Eli worked as a truck driver at numerous lumber mills, and his mother Ophelia worked out of their home. As Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye would say, ain't nothing like the real thing. However, after hearing his brother David, they hired him for the job instead[4] so Jimmy decided to resume his solo career. I wrote and edited this short clip from an Ask The Messengers TV show in Detroit, episode (Episode 35). In 1970, "Farewell Is a Lonely Sound", "I'll Say Forever My Love" and "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" each made the UK Top Ten, and he was voted the world's top singer in one British poll. [30] He had a son with his long-term girlfriend, Genna Sapia, whom he met in 1964. Too sick to perform, Paul had to leave the group. [2][8] The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the R&B Chart. [28] John Oates later wrote a minor hit single for Ruffin and Kendrick, but the two duos fell out, allegedly due to Daryl Hall's objections to Ruffin's heavy drug use. [7] His recording of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" became a major success. [19] When the group started to perform a Ruffin-era song such as "My Girl" or "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", Ruffin would suddenly walk on to the stage, take the microphone from Edwards' hands, and steal the show, embarrassing the group but entertaining the fans. Their performance was released as a successful live album and single. This obituary is part of We Will Remember, a series about those weve lost to the coronavirus. David Ruffin died on June 1, 1991 at the age of 50. "Tammi left him because she didn't want her butt whipped." [31][32] In 1976, Ruffin married Joy Hamilton. According to her daughter, Wells never complained "She only cried." and championed environmentalism in "Mercy, Mercy Me." He was also utterly petrified of his father, Joe, who used to beat Jackson so badly that the King of Pop later admitted to vomiting and fainting in his presence. David Ruffin children: Meet Nedra Ruffin, Kimberly Ruffin, Cheryl Ruffin, David Ruffin Jr. The same showmanship that brought David into the R&B industry caught the attention of fans around the world. Other notable recordings from Ruffin's solo career include "I Lost Everything I've Ever Loved" (1969); the gospel-inflected "I'm So Glad I Fell For You" (1970); "Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can)" (1973); "Common Man" (1973) (which was sampled on the 2001 Jay-Z song "Never Change"); "No Matter Where" (1974); "Who I Am" (1975); "Statue of a Fool" (1975); and cover versions of the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back", "Rainy Night in Georgia" (popularized by Brook Benton)both recorded for the shelved 1970 album; and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "I Miss You" (1973), featuring Eddie Kendricks (later Kendrick). Wiki User 2009-12-28. However, her post-Motown career floundered. Soon after their marriage they divorced. Little Brother sampled Ruffin's song Slow Dance for their song Slow It Down. Formerly known as the Elgins, they would change their name, lineup, and lead singer over the years. [6] Ruffin lived with Gordy's father, a contractor, and helped "Pops" Gordy do construction work on the building that would become Hitsville USA, the headquarters for Gordy's Tamla Records (later Motown Records) label. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 50 years old group. Family [ edit] His siblings were Davis Eli (David), Reada May (Marie), Rosine, and Quincy B (all deceased). TheDetroit residentattended Mumford High School in Detroit, and her career included modeling andbartending. Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin also sang at the funeral. [17] This caused friction between Ruffin and Gordy. Before David's untimely death, the brothers collaborated on an album together in the '70s called, I Am My Brother's Keeper. While his reputation was harmed by his destructive behavior, when the younger of the Ruffin brothers (his brother was Motown star Jimmy) opened his mouth to sing, his brilliance was unmistakable.. Music didn't just become KEM's livelihood; it helped save his life. He thought he had one more child and she is now 28 her name is In 1976 she passed away from a coronary blood clot. Glenn Leonard got to know Ruffin when he joined the Temptations line-up in 1975, sang alongside David Sr. in the Temptations during the bands massive Reunion tour and spent lots of time with David Jr. from the time he was a teen, as the band members often took their children on tour with them. [64], The first song on Fall Out Boy's 2005 CD From Under the Cork Tree was to have been titled "My Name is David Ruffinand These are The Temptations," but for legal reasons the name was changed to "Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued.". Nedra tells of her drug use, how she started, what made her start, her rock bottom and how long shes been in recovery. , . ' . We know it was the Temptations. A magnificent singer and songwriter, Marvin Gaye made music that moved human hearts to different beats. He recorded duets with both Maxine Nightingale and Brenda Holloway. "My Girl" subsequently became the Temptations' signature song, and elevated Ruffin to the role of lead singer and frontman. Mary Wells not only cracked the top 10, but two years later she sang Motown's first #1 hit "My Guy." David Ruffin was an American singer and musician. In 1994, Mary Wilson got into a car wreck that killed her teenage son. She would undergo eight surgeries that impaired her memory and left her partially paralyzed. [13] The song was to be something that Ruffin could "belt out" yet something that was also "melodic and sweet". Despite thriving in the limelight, the Temptations had their share of sour notes. His voice proved to be powerful, as he went on to sing lead on Temptations hits that brought joy and happiness in the turbulent times of the 1960s. Terrell would eventually find out that Ruffin had a wife, several children and girlfriends all over. Ruffin, 58, died May 19 at BeaumontHospital, Royal Oak as a result ofcomplications from COVID-19. ( divorced) David Ruffin Net Worth In addition, he had recorded the first version of The Temptations hit "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep". He also sang with The Soul Stirrers briefly after the departure of Johnnie Taylor. Per OZY, during the 1960s it was common for record companies not to acknowledge background musicians, "but Motown's negligence was extraordinary." A slew of celebrities and supporters, including Bruce Springsteen and Phil Collins, helped her financially but nobody could save her. Ruffin and his brother both auditioned to join the group, but they ultimately chose David after he performed with the them on stage during the label's New Year's Eve party in 1963.[12]. I sat there looking at the kids with tears running down my face and I would say, 'I am trapped.'" Since no one made a death scene of David Ruffin or how he died. He later signed with RCA Records, accompanied by former Temptations colleague Eddie Kendricks, who chose to rekindle their friendship when Kendricks himself started experiencing problems with the Temptations. In 1980, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees produced his album Sunrise and the hit single "Hold On To My Love", which reached #10 in the US and #7 in the UK, on the RSO label. Jimmy Lee Ruffin[3] (May 7, 1936 November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and the older brother of David Ruffin the lead singer of the Temptations. In 1966, he heard a song about unrequited love written for The Spinners, and persuaded the writers that he should record it himself. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). And Florence Ballard's life often seemed like a parade of heartache and betrayal. Jimmy became a session singer at Motown in 1961. Renowned for producing "glorious melodies and killer hooks," Motown is the birthplace of quite a few iconic music careers. Ruffin is survived by her mother, Sandra Ruffin; a son, Clifford Pearson, anddaughters, Terea Frazier andDeAiress Frazier;six grandchildren;sisters Cheryl Ruffin-Robinson (Lamont)and Kimberly Mone Ruffin Jones,and a brother, David Ruffin, Jr. Eight of them signed with Motown, six would join the DeBarge singing group at different points, and all of them had hellish childhoods courtesy of their father, Robert. 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