1. Teddy Pendergrass continued his successful solo career until announcing his retirement in 2007.
31 Facts About Teddy Pendergrass
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Teddy Pendergrass was born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass on March 26,1950, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Teddy Pendergrass was the only child of Jesse and Ida Geraldine Pendergrass.
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When Teddy Pendergrass was very young, his father left the family.
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Teddy Pendergrass fulfilled that promise, and Teddy met his father when he was 11 years old.
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Teddy Pendergrass grew up in the impoverished section of North Philadelphia and often sang at church.
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Teddy Pendergrass dreamed of being a pastor and got his wish when, at the age of 10, he was ordained a minister.
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Teddy Pendergrass took up drums during this time and was a junior deacon of his church.
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Teddy Pendergrass attended Thomas Edison High School for Boys in North Philadelphia.
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Teddy Pendergrass dropped out in the 11th grade to enter the music business, recording his first song "Angel with Muddy Feet".
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Teddy Pendergrass played drums for several local Philadelphia bands, eventually becoming the drummer of The Cadillacs.
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However, during a performance, Teddy Pendergrass began singing along, and Melvin, impressed by his vocals, made him the lead singer.
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The song featured Blue Notes member Lloyd Parks singing falsetto in the background and spotlighted Harold Melvin adding in a rap near the end of the song as Teddy Pendergrass kept singing, feigning tears.
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Teddy Pendergrass left the group in 1975, and the Blue Notes struggled with his replacements.
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In 1977, Teddy Pendergrass released his self-titled album, which went platinum on the strength of the disco hit "I Don't Love You Anymore".
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Between 1977 and 1981, Teddy Pendergrass landed five consecutive platinum albums, which was a then record-setting number for a rhythm and blues artist.
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In 1980, the Isley Brothers released "Don't Say Goodnight " to compete with Teddy Pendergrass's "Turn Off the Lights", which sensed Teddy Pendergrass's influence on the quiet storm format of black music.
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On March 18,1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive near Rittenhouse Street, Teddy Pendergrass was involved in a car crash while driving his new Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.
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Teddy Pendergrass was reportedly driving Tenika Watson, a transgender nightclub performer whom he had known since the 1970s, to her house.
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Teddy Pendergrass would only say that Watson was a casual acquaintance.
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Teddy Pendergrass got well-wishes from thousands of his fans during his recovery.
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Teddy Pendergrass tearfully thanked the audience for keeping him in their well-wishes and then performed the Diana Ross song "Reach Out and Touch ".
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Also, Teddy Pendergrass's voice was heard on the jingles of a then local Philadelphia radio station, WSNI-FM.
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Teddy Pendergrass did a concert at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles on February 14,2002, titled "The Power of Love".
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In 2006, Teddy Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music business.
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In June 1987, Teddy Pendergrass married a former Philadanco dancer named Karen Still, who had danced in his shows.
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Teddy Pendergrass published his autobiography, Truly Blessed, with Patricia Romanowski in 1998.
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Teddy Pendergrass proposed to her after four months, and they married in a private ceremony officiated by his pastor, Alyn Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, on Easter Sunday, March 23,2008.
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On June 5,2009, Teddy Pendergrass underwent successful surgery for colon cancer and returned home to recover.
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Teddy Pendergrass's body was interred at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.
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In 2019, BBC Film made a documentary on Teddy Pendergrass's life titled If You Don't Know Me.