Former lead Temptations singer Ali Woodson dies
Mark Hicks / The Detroit News
Ali "Ollie" Woodson, a former lead singer of The Temptations, died Sunday in California. He was 58.
Woodson had been battling cancer, said Billy Wilson, president and founder the Motown Alumni Association.
Born Oct. 12, 1951, in Detroit, Woodson headed The Temptations for most of the 1980s and 90s.
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He wrote and sang lead on the 1984 hit "Treat Her Like a Lady."
"He was an excellent singer," Wilson said. "He's one of the few singers who was accommodating to virtually everything. He had a style and swagger about himself that was different than the other Temptations."
Mr. Woodson later released a solo album, "Right Here All Along," in 2001, according to allmusic.com.
Wilson said he regularly returned to Metro Detroit, including performing with a band at Arturo's Jazz Theatre and Restaurant in Southfield and with Dennis Edwards' Temptations Revue at events such as the Detroit International Jazz Fest.
"He had a tremendous number of fans," Wilson said.
This year, Woodson appeared at a CD preview party at the Detroit Fish Market for Aretha Franklin, with whom he has performed on a tour.
In 2008, Woodson had high-profile performances at a Motown Museum Fundraiser as well as the funeral for Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops.
"It's a sad day," he said of Stubbs' death. "He was the first person I met when I signed with Motown in 1983," he told The Detroit News.
Family members could not be reached for comment.
Funeral services are pending
From The Detroit News
