Eddie Kendricks, the Temptations singer whose clear falsetto punctuated such hits as "My Girl," "Get Ready" and "The Way You Do the Things You Do," has died of lung cancer. He was 52.
Kendricks, who died Monday, founded the group in Detroit in 1961 along with Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams and Elbridge Bryant. David Ruffin replaced Bryant in 1964, and the group signed with the Motown label.The Temptations had their first No. 1 hit with "My Girl" in 1965, followed by "It's Growing" and "Since I Lost My Baby" that same year.
"Eddie just had that great, great tenor voice that just was so captivating," Esther Edwards, the Temptations' first manager and the sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., said recently. "He had such admirers, men and women. But the ladies really loved Eddie and his style. . . . He just had a sweet, melodious, captivating, tender sound."
The Temptations went on to become Motown's most successful male group, with more than a dozen hits.