American singer Jimmy Ruffin, who was a regular with famous record label Motown, has died. He was 78. Ruffin’s kids, Philicia and Jimmy Lee, confirmed that he died on Monday at his home in Las Vegas.
The cause of death is not known yet, reported TMZ. Born in Mississippi, Ruffin moved to Detroit in the early 1960s and was signed to Motown’s Miracle label.
He had several hit records between the 1960s and 1980s, the most successful being the Top 10 classic ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’.
He collaborated with his late younger brother David Ruffin, who was one of the lead singers of American vocal group ‘Temptations’ for an album in 1970, ‘I Am My Brother’s Keeper’. David died in 1991, aged 50, due of drug overdose. This led to Jimmy becoming an anti-drug campaigner.
He also recorded for other labels, Polydor and Chess, where he recorded ‘Tell Me What You Want’.
In 1980, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees produced his album Sunrise and the hit single ‘Hold On To My Love’, which reached number 10 in the US and number 7 in the UK, on the RSO label.
His last album, ‘There Will Never Be Another You’, was released in 2012. (PTI)
