One of the primary singers for the Temptations, David Ruffin was an American soul musician who achieved stardom.

When he was a teenager, David Ruffin started to compose music. He performed in Memphis talent showcases before deciding to join the Temptations and signing with Motown Records. Before the Temptations imploded and fired him due to Ruffin’s drug abuse, the band had achieved great success under his direction with songs like “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” Ruffin had some success as a solo performer but had a difficult life; two years after being honored with a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, he passed away from a cocaine overdose.

On January 18, 1941, in Whynot, Mississippi, Ruffin was born Davis Eli Ruffin. His mother passed away while she was giving birth, and his Baptist minister father reared him. He left home at the age of 13 in order to become a minister, but soon discovered that he preferred performing in Memphis talent shows. Along with his brother Jimmy, he started creating songs as a teenager, transitioning from talent competitions to a real singing career with the Dixie Nightingales, a local gospel group.

Who are David Ruffin’s children?

Cheryl, Nedra, and Kimberly were the children of his first marriage to Sandra Barnes, which took place in 1961. He met Genna Sapia in 1964 and they dated for a long time before becoming parents to a son. David E. Sapia was the name she gave their son; however, David Eli Ruffin, Jr. was chosen by Ruffin later.