Cuba Gooding Sr. has passed away. The legendary singer and father of a prominent actor was 72 years old. He was reportedly found in his silver Jaguar, which was located in Woodland Hills, California. The fire department arrived on the scene and attempted to resuscitate him with CPR, but were unsuccessful. Drugs and bottles of alcohol were found in the vehicle with him. Despite the circumstances surrounding his death, however, Gooding Sr. will be remembered positively.
The Main Ingredient
Gooding Sr. rose to prominence as a member of The Main Ingredient, a soul group.
The band had several big songs, but the biggest was "Everybody Plays the Fool," which was released in 1972. "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" was another strong hit, coming out in 1974. The group eventually disbanded and reunited several times during the lives of the members of the group.
His solo singing career wasn't nearly as successful, despite being signed to the legendary Motown Records for a time. Still, "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend" kept him relevant when it was released in 1983. The main relevance Cuba Gooding Sr. would receive on a national level going forward, however, would be attributed to his son, who would surpass him in fame.
Family fame
Gooding Sr. and singer Shirley Sullivan had four children, one of whom bore the father's namesake: Cuba Gooding Jr.
The son became one of the biggest actors in Hollywood, starring in films such as "Radio" and "Jerry Maguire," and most recently, the critically acclaimed television series "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." The father once dreamed of a documentary starring him and his family, but it didn't ever come to fruition.
Gooding Jr., who didn't spend a lot of time talking about his father during his career, opened up to "Inside the Actors Studio" last year, discussing what it felt like to know that his dad was a well-known singer. He appeared emotional on the set of "A Life in a Year" when learning of Gooding Sr.'s death on Thursday, with fellow actor Jaden Smith comforting him.
Many questions will be asked in the coming days about how he died and why he decided to consume the alcohol and drugs behind the wheel of his white Jaguar, if that's what ultimately took his life. At the end of the day, however, Cuba Gooding Sr. will still be remembered as a major player in the era of soul music and the father of a great Hollywood actor in his own right.
