Unsung, a music-driven documentary series uncovers the stories behind once well-known R&B and soul music artists. The show airs weekly on TV One and gives us the inside track behind some of our favorite legendary stars. This week’s episode is dedicated to Motown star David Ruffin of The Temptations.
David was the center of The Temptations in their peak years but his expanding ego forced his bandmates to cut ties with him in 1968. And with only one significant solo hit, “My Whole World Ended,” he never again reached the heights he’d enjoyed as the swoon-inducing leader of The Tempts.
In private life, David was a talented, self-tortured soul, capable of kindness and generosity along with untempered anger. But drug abuse wore him down in the ’70s and ’80s, costing him precious opportunities to reunite with friends and former bandmates, and damaging his relationships with those closest to his heart.
Less than two years after joining The Temptations onstage for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was found dead from an apparent drug overdose at the age 50. Now, his family, friends and musical associates come together to help Unsung portray the tumultuous life and career of a legendary singer.
Tonight’s episode will feature interviews with Ruffin’s ex-wife Sandra, who is the mother of his three daughters Cheryl, Nedra and Kimberly, as well as Temptations’ Otis Williams and Dennis Edwards,Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, and his California-based son, David Ruffin Jr., whose mother was Ruffin’s girlfriend Genna Sapia.
Check out a sneak peak in the video above and don’t forget to watch this powerful episode tonight, March 5 at 10PM EST on TV One!
