List of celebrities who have passed on

the one and only big_l wrote:they say he hanged himself in a wardrobe ...............must have been a closet gay

I saw it commented somewhere on internet 'it was ironic that a fashion designer chose to hang himself in a wardrobe'

I'm sorry to say l did laugh

I tried 'Auto erotic asphyxiation' once but i couldnt get the car in the wardrobe........

Sex symbol and soul singer Teddy Pendergrass dies at 59

Teddy Pendergrass, who became a sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralysed, died yesterday at age 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had 'a difficult recovery,' his son said.

'To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,' his son said. 'He will live on through his music.'




Pendergrass, the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums, suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralysed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album 'Love Language.'

He briefly returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair. He finally performed in his own concerts on Memorial Day weekend in 2001, with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organisation whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its website.

Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released it first single, 'I Miss You,' in 1972 and then released 'If You Don't Know Me by Now,' which was nominated for a Grammy Award.


Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976.

It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as 'Love T.K.O.,' 'Close the Door' and 'I Don't Love You Anymore,' he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke of virility, not vulnerability.

His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.

'Turn Off the Lights' was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass - tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.

Pendergrass made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.

Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren.