Teddy Pendergrass Dead at 59

R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass passed away Wednesday at the age of 59 after a yearlong battle with colon cancer. The five-time Grammy nominee earned fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 70s, singing such classics as “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “The Love I Lost,” before beginning a solo career later that decade.

“To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” son Teddy Pendergrass II said. “He will live on through his music.”