--- description: Dennis Edwards, the former Temptations lead singer, died at age 74. His cause of death was complications from meningitis title: Former Temptations Singer Dennis Edwards Dies at Age 74 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c9da6b96b0f1883/6988fa7bbc6cfc19a23e4dee/dennis-edwards-cause-of-death.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Music](/tag/music/) ## Music Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Former Temptations Singer Dennis Edwards Dies at Age 74 by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:21 PM CUTPublished: Feb 2, 2018 11:12 PM CUT  LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Singer Dennis Edwards of The Temptations arrives at the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre on February 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Redmond/FilmMagic) LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Singer Dennis Edwards of The Temptations arrives at the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre on February 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Redmond/FilmMagic)Paul Redmond—FilmMagic by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 10:21 PM CUTPublished: Feb 2, 2018 11:12 PM CUT Dennis Edwards, one of the former lead singers of the Temptations, died at the age of 74. Edwards died Thursday in Chicago and his cause of death was complications from meningitis, his wife Brenda Edwards [told](http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/music/kevin-johnson/legendary-temptations-singer-dennis-edwards-of-florissant-dies-at/article%5Fb4c30cc1-4cb0-5cad-9add-5c639cb61985.html "undefined") the St. Louis _Post-Dispatch_. Edwards would have turned 75 on Saturday. His family confirmed his death to [CBS Chicago](http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/02/02/dennis-edwards-temptations-obituary/ "undefined"). Dennis Edwards joined [the Temptations](http://entertainment.time.com/2011/09/21/top-10-date-specific-songs/slide/papa-was-a-rollin-stone-by-the-temptations-sept-3/ "undefined") in 1968 and performed with the group off and on until 1989, voicing classics like “Cloud Nine” and “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”  LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 09: Singer Dennis Edwards of The Temptations speaks onstage during the Special Merit Awards Ceremony during the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on February 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage) Rick Diamond—WireImage Born on Feb. 3, 1943 in Birmingham, Al., Edwards replaced David Ruffin as the Temptations’ lead singer in 1968 after performing as the lead singer for the Contours, another group under Motown Records that often opened for the Temptations, the [Guardian reports](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/02/dennis-edwards-temptations-dead-74 "undefined"). Edwards left the Temptations in pursuit of solo success in 1984 and found it with the song “Don’t Look Any Further.” He went back to the Temptations three years later, but left again in 1989.  TCB -- Aired 12/9/68 -- Pictured: The Temptations: (l-r) Eddie Kendricks, Dennis Edwards, Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams (Photo by NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) NBC—NBC via Getty Images Edwards and the Temptations were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, where they performed with Daryl Hall and John Oates. Condolences for Edwards poured in on Twitter: > [](https://twitter.com/RevJJackson/status/959511153029369856) > [](https://twitter.com/kennylattimore/status/959514271255216129) > [](https://twitter.com/JudgeGregMathis/status/959511545607835648) > [](https://twitter.com/SIEDAHGARRETT/status/959516032166780928) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5131740/dennis-edwards-temptations-cause-of-death/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5131740/dennis-edwards-temptations-cause-of-death/"},"headline":"Former Temptations Singer Dennis Edwards Dies at Age 74","datePublished":"2018-02-02T23:12:08.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T22:21:36.000Z","description":"He sang hits like \"Cloud Nine\" and \"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone\"","url":"https://time.com/5131740/dennis-edwards-temptations-cause-of-death/","keywords":["Music","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c9da6b96b0f1883/6988fa7bbc6cfc19a23e4dee/dennis-edwards-cause-of-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c9da6b96b0f1883/6988fa7bbc6cfc19a23e4dee/dennis-edwards-cause-of-death.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Recording Academy Presents The Special Merit Awards Ceremony","caption":"The Recording Academy Presents The Special Merit Awards Ceremony","creditText":"Paul Redmond—FilmMagic","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/music/","name":"Music"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5131740/dennis-edwards-temptations-cause-of-death/","name":"Former Temptations Singer Dennis Edwards Dies at Age 74"}}]}] ```