Cuba Gooding Sr., the lead singer of The Main Ingredient best known for the 1972 hit “Everybody Plays the Fool,” died April 20, 2017, in Woodland Hills, California. He was 72. Reports published at the time said the cause of death had not been determined.
Who was Cuba Gooding Sr.?
Gooding was a soul singer whose professional career began in 1964, according to NPR’s 2017 report. Born in Harlem, New York City, he later became the frontman of The Main Ingredient, a group whose best-known recording became a major early-1970s hit.
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Everybody Plays The Fool: The Best Of The Main Ingredient | $12.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Greatest Hits Main Ingredient | $10.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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In a 2014 interview with Matthew Peddie on Intersection, Gooding described Harlem’s influence on his ambitions: “I was born in a little town called the village of Harlem, New York City. And being born in Harlem had its advantages if you wanted to be an entertainer because it was literally, as I was coming up, with the Cotton Club and Carnegie Hall and everything else in New York City, the entertainment capital of the world … My mom and dad were determined that their first-born son would do something in the arts, if I had the talent.”
How did Gooding join The Main Ingredient?
The group was initially led by Donald McPherson. Gooding had sung background vocals and toured with the band while McPherson was ill. After McPherson died of leukemia in 1971, Gooding became the lead singer, as NPR reported.
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What was his best-known song?
Gooding’s signature association was “Everybody Plays the Fool,” The Main Ingredient’s 1972 hit. The Television Academy’s profile of Gooding says the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard pop singles chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart. That chart summary underscores the song’s broad success; the recording remains the central part of Gooding’s public musical legacy.
What did he do after the group’s hit?
Gooding left The Main Ingredient in 1978 to pursue a solo career and recorded two albums for Motown, according to NPR. He returned to the group in 1980. NPR also notes his association with “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely,” collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Leon Ware, and his 1993 solo album Meant To Be In Love.
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What was the cause of Cuba Gooding Sr.’s death?
It was not established in the initial reports. NPR said the cause had yet to be determined, while the Los Angeles Times reported that the investigation was ongoing. Those reports described Gooding being found dead in a car in Woodland Hills, but the circumstances reported at the scene do not establish a medical cause. The contemporaneous accounts cited here do not verify a later authoritative finding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When and where did he die?
Gooding died on April 20, 2017, in Woodland Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. He was 72, according to the Television Academy and NPR.
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