Nedra Ruffin has died due to complications from COVID-19 after experiencing trouble breathing and fatigue.
The 58-year-old Detroit resident was the daughter of the Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, known for the group’s classic hits “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.”
Nedra battled “various ailments in recent years,” the Detroit Free Press reported and began having difficulty breathing after returning from a Las Vegas trip. She was admitted into a hospital the day after Mother’s Day and placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit, but “never came off,” her sister Cheryl Ruffin told the publication.
Remembered for her love of dancing, Nedra worked in hospice care and often taught ballroom dance classes for the residents. Throughout her career, she also dabbled in modeling and bartending.
“We were always known as twins coming up. I’m going to miss her loving, giving ways,” Cheryl said about her sister. “She gave so much of herself to others. And I’m going to miss our get-togethers.
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The daughter of a Motown legend, Nedra would often recount her visits to the music studio with her father and riding around in his fancy Corvette.
Though The Temptations was originally formed in 1961, David’s joining the group four years later contributed to their success throughout the ‘60s and easily made him the most recognizable member.
Their 1964 debut album, Meet The Temptations, featured David along with singers Paul Williams, Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin and Eddie Kendricks. “My Girl,” one of the group’s biggest hits, went #1 and spent over three months on the Billboard chart.
Though the raspy-voiced tenor found success with and without the Temptations, he also faced several struggles throughout his life, including drug abuse. Three years after joining the popular male Motown group, David spent time in a rehabilitation center to get treatment for his drug problem.
In 1991, the “Walk Away From Love” singer died at age 50 from an accidental cocaine overdose after struggling with addiction for decades.
Before Nedra’s death, she was an active member of Narcotics Anonymous and recently celebrated being clean of drugs for 28 years.
Nedra’s family remembers her as a “loving, kind, sweet individual with a heart of gold.”
She leaves behind her mother, Sandra Ruffin, three children and six grandchildren.
