Chris McKay/WireImageCuba Gooding Sr., father of actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and lead singer of ’70s soul trio The Main Ingredient, has died at 72.
Gooding Sr. was found dead in a car in Woodland Hills, California, on Thursday afternoon, officials said. He would have turned 73 next week. Police are investigating the cause of death, but say there was no sign of any shooting at the scene.
Gooding Sr. was not The Main Ingredient’s original lead singer, but joined the band after its frontman died unexpectedly. He and the group found immediate success with the smash hit “Everybody Plays the Fool,” which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. The group had another top-10 hit, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely,” in 1974. Gooding Sr. left the band in 1977 to pursue a solo career.
Gooding Jr., born in in 1968, is one of four children Gooding Sr. shared with wife Shirley Gooding.
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