R&B Legend Teddy Pendergrass Dies After Long Illness, He was 59

R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass dies at age 59 after suffering long illness. Rest in peace Teddy!

The music world has lost a true legend. R&B star Teddy Pendergrass died Wednesday at the age of 59. You will remember Pendergrass for his soulfoul ballads, including "Turn Off the Lights" and "Love TKO." He reportedly died after a long after a long illness. He died at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., where he was born. His publicist said his death was related to complications from a 1982 car accident. I can remember my sister just swooning over Teddy Pendergrass when his songs were played on the radio. She melted when she heard "Turn Off the Lights." Teddy made many women weak in the knees.

According to his Web site, "Teddy," as he was affectionately called,started his career in music as a drummer with a group called the Cadillacs in the late 1960s and was still with the group when it merged with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. He soon began to sing lead after the group heard his powerful voice. Another chart scorcher and No. 1 hit came in 1972, with "If You Don't Know Me by Now," which the legendary Patti Labelle took to the top of the charts as well. Teddy went solo and he topped the charts again and received several Grammy nominations, won Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award and an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, his publicist Lisa Barbaris told CNN.

Pendergrass' career was temporarily halted in 1982, when he was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed. True to form, he returned to the studio in 1984 in his wheelchair to record an album. He is survived by three children. Rest in peace Teddy. Yes, it's your time to "turn off the lights." You have done well.