Teddy Pendergrass Dies At Age Of 59 Singer Teddy Pendergrass, the R&B love man whose chart-topping career was slowed but not stopped by a devastating car accident, died Wednesday. He was 59. His son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died in a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago . Philly native Pendergrass, like many of the great soul singers of his generation, began singing in church. Trained as a drummer, he began supporting vocalist Harold Melvin in 1969. Melvin reconstituted his vocal group the Blue Notes the following year with Pendergrass as lead singer. In 1971, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes were signed to Philadelphia International, the hometown label run by producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and distributed by CBS. The association spawned a run of sleek, opulently orchestrated R&B hits featuring Pendergrass' virile vocals; these included the No. 1 hits "If You Don't Know Me By Now," &q