Bruce Williamson, a former lead singer of The Temptations, has died after battling COVID-19. He was 49.
The R&B crooner passed away Sunday evening in Las Vegas, his business manager told USA Today. Williamson was diagnosed with coronavirus in late August, just weeks after having his gallbladder removed, his manager said.
“There’s no words in the world that can express how I feel right now,” the singer’s son, Bruce Alan Williamson Jr., wrote in a tribute on Facebook. “I love you Daddy thank you for being awesome thank you for being loving, thank you for being Who You Are I pray to God and we will meet again,”I love you Daddy R.I.H KING WILLIAMSON.”
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The senior Williamson was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. He began singing in the church, and later launched a career in R&B music by performing in local clubs, then on the Las Vegas Strip.
Williamson joined The Temptations in 2006 and performed with the iconic group for ten years.
The lineup of The Temptations has changed several times since the original Motown group was formed. The act is best known for the hits”My Girl” (1964) and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” (1966).
“We mourn the loss of one of our brothers,” original Temptations member Otis Williams said in a statement to the media on Monday. “Once you are a Temptation, you are always a Temptation.”
