KUALA LUMPUR: Legendary R&B group The Temptations' former lead singer Bruce Williamson has died from the Covid-19 coronavirus. He was 49.
Entertainment portal USA Today reported yesterday that Williamson died on Sunday at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas.
Williamson's business manager Anta Ealy said that the singer was diagnosed with Covid-19 in late August, weeks after undergoing surgery to have his gall bladder removed.
The singer's son Bruce Alan Williamson Jr. in a tribute to his father said: "There are no words in the world that can express how I feel right now. I love you Daddy, thank you for being awesome, loving and for being who you are. We will meet again."
The group's founding member Otis Williams said: "We mourn the loss of one of our brothers. Once you are a Temptation, you are always a Temptation."
Williamson was with The Temptations for a decade before leaving the group in 2015. He replaced G. C. Cameron in the long-running Motown group famed for 1960s hits like My Girl and Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
Ealy said: "He was a great guy and an amazing talent who performed packed shows throughout Vegas."
Williamson, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, began singing in church at an early age.
As a teenager, he moved with his family to Las Vegas, where he performed at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
With The Temptations, he performed on Broadway and at the White House in a 2008 African American History Month performance attended by President George W. Bush.
At the time of his death, Williamson was working on R&B and gospel albums with producer Darryl Ross.