Cuba Gooding, Sr., the father to actor Cuba Gooding, Jr., has passed away aged 72.
Cuba Sr. was found dead in his car on Thursday in the San Fernando Valley, according to TMZ. Law enforcement officials told the site that the singer was slumped over in his silver 2012 Jaguar when he was first discovered. Paramedics were dispatched at around 1pm in an attempt to revive him, but they were unable to do so. While it’s not official, law enforcement officials say that open alcohol containers and drug paraphernalia were found in the car, as they suspect his cause of death to be a possible overdose.
Photographs from the scene show authorities removing two bottles that appear to be alcohol from the Jaguar. He joined soul group The Main Ingredient in 1971 after the lead singer Donald McPherson died of leukemia. While he was the group, who was signed to RCA, Cuba Sr. scored five top 10 hits on the Billboard chart. One of those songs included their highest-charting effort, Everybody Plays the Fool. The song, which was released in 1972, peaked at No. 2 for three weeks and it was also their biggest hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, climbing to No. 3. Their other songs, Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely, Happiness Is Just Around the Bend, and Rolling Down a Mountainside all were top 10 songs on the R&B Songs chart.
Our sincere condolences go out to the family.
