Temptations Former Lead Singer Dennis Edwards Dead at 74

Motown pioneer initially joined group in 1968, appeared on hits "Ball of Confusion," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"

Dennis Edwards, a former lead singer of Motown pioneers the Temptations, sang on a string of the group's hits including "I Can't Get Next to You," "Ball of Confusion" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." He joined in an initial tenure that stretched to 1977, has died. His family confirmed the news to CBS News. He was 74.

Edwards, who was living in Missouri, died at a hospital in Chicago on Thursday night of complications from meningitis, his wife, Brenda, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was diagnosed with the disease in May 2017. His 75th birthday would have been on Saturday. Edwards was inducted into the Rick and Roll Hall of Fame with the Temptations in 1989. In 2013, Edwards also received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, given to the Temptations.

"It really saddens me to know that another Motown soldier is gone. Rest In Peace my brother. You were a great talent," Smokey Robinson tells Rolling Stone.

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