Richard Street is now the second member of the Temptations to die in less than two weeks.
The Motown legend died early Wednesday at a Las Vegas hospita, The Associated Press reported. He was 70.
Richard Street had a long relationship with members of the Temptations, though he didn’t actually join the group until later. He sang with Temptations members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin, then joined the group himself in 1970.
After leaving Detroit, the home of Motown, Street moved to Los Angeles and stayed with the Temptations until the mid-1990s.
His wife, Cindy Street, said that a memorial service will be held sometime next week in Cypress, California.
Richard Street died suddenly after experiencing back pain and breathing problems on Friday, CNN reported. He went to a hospital, where doctors found a clot in his lung.
“He was really fighting for his life,” Cindy Street said shortly after he fell ill. “He’s a fighter.”
Richard Street is now the second Temptations member to die in a matter of days after Damon Harris died on February 18 in Baltimore.”They’re dancing up there in heaven, him and Damon,” Cindy Street said. “I’m in disbelief right now.”
She added: “He was part of black history. He was always proud of that. He sang on a lot of those classic songs: ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,’ ‘Hey Girl,’ ‘Heavenly,’ ‘Superstar,’ ‘Masterpiece.’ ”
Right up until the time that Richard Street died, he was still an active performer, his wife noted. Last fall alone he performed 45 concert dates in Europe.
