urban legend has it that he crashed into the tree when he felt the mister winkie under her dress...i say he knew all along...cuz if memory serves correctly, he got married right after that....suspicious timing...?

Like Country and Western, R&B has remained a bastion of heterosexuality in popular music. As in country, scandals involving alleged homosexual activities have plagued some of R&B's biggest male singers.

In 1976 lead singer Teddy Pendergrass left the popular group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes to pursue a solo career. By 1982, he was the reigning R&B sex symbol, giving women-only concerts for his adoring fans. That year, however, Pendergrass' career came to a screeching halt following an automobile accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down and his passenger, a transsexual male, dead.

Formerly a heartthrob, Pendergrass was unable to regain his popularity. His career could not transcend his paralysis or his companion's sexuality (and the implications of it for his own sexuality).

Ok, I knew about his accident, but I didn't know about THAT

they had a picture of the tranny in Jet magazine...although she was passable (unlike those gorgons that appear on Jerry Springer)...even as a youngin i could tell "it was a MAN baby, yeah"

Teddy Pendergrass - singer shares items from autobiography - Cover Story
Jet, Nov 9, 1998
Save a personal copy of this article and quickly find it again with Furl.net. Get started now. (It's free.)* His Love Affair With Marvin Gaye's Wife

* What Really Happened The Night Of The Accident

* His Alternative Sexuality

* His Rolls Royce Lawsuit

* Wanting To Commit Suicide

* Attending His Own Funeral

Theodore, which means gift from God, was the name Ida Geraldine Epps said the Lord placed in her spirit after she learned that she and her husband, Jesse Pendergrass, would finally have a baby after suffering through six miscarriages.

The world would come to know him as Teddy Pendergrass, a balladeer of seduction and sensuality, or more affectionately "Teddy Bear." But at the height of superstardom, an intimate dance with death would change his life so dramatically that even sixteen years later, he said his story would be "very difficult and very painful" to tell.

Many years have passed since that fateful evening when the award winning singer severely injured his spine and partially severed his spinal cord as a result of the brakes on his Rolls Royce failing. And many years have passed since he was scrutinized and subject to all sorts of rumors about his transsexual passenger.

No amount of time could erase the anguish evidently ingrained in his soul as he explained why he finally decided to write his tell-all autobiography, Truly Blessed (G.P. Putnam's Sons; $23.96).

Within the past 48 years, he has soared to heights and plummeted to depths that people would never begin to fully comprehend.

"For something as traumatic as I had suffered, who would really understand my fall?" he asked himself all the while knowing, he had to tell his true story.

"God saved my life," said Pendergrass. "I've come full circle, a couple of times. So maybe I can help inspire somebody else to get through their hard times, not because I'm trying to be inspirational. I'm just trying to live my life. But I think there is a higher purpose, so I decided to let it all out."

Recalling the tragic evening of March 18, 1982 for his autobiography would be easy compared to learning to live with the life altering events that night would ultimately bring.

Only eight days before his 32nd birthday, Pendergrass was home in Gladwyne, an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, for a little rest and relaxation before preparing for a photo shoot, commercial, and HBO special. He had decided to hang out with his friend, Yvette, at the Elan, a popular club in Philadelphia.

He relates in the book that after socializing for a while, a woman approached Pendergrass and reminded him that they had met before at his 30th birthday party. She joined them. As the evening progressed, Yvette reminded Pendergrass she had to be home early. Not wanting to be rude, he asked the woman to ride with him to take Yvette home. The fatal accident occurred after leaving Yvette's home.

"I braked to slow the car but it didn't respond," wrote Pendergrass. "I braked again. Nothing. Then we hit the metal guardrail. After that I remember my head hitting the ceiling of the car. Then a terrifying blur before the car came to a sudden violent stop. (Only much later did I learn that after striking the guard rail, the car crossed the oncoming northbound lanes, and sideswiped one tree before plowing into a second.)"

Prior to the disaster, he had gotten the car serviced for the same problem he had the night of the accident and trusted that it had been fixed. He filed a lawsuit against Rolls Royce that was settled out of court while he was in the hospital.

The next time Pendergrass was fully conscious would be eight days later on his 32nd birthday. Life as he once knew it, had changed forever.

After learning he would never be able to move or feel sensation below his chest, grasp objects normally, and be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life, it had been impossible for him to disclose exactly how he felt.

He had endured learning to live as a quadriplegic, but had not mentally accepted that he could not walk. Not being able to live life as he had known it for 32 years would be a challenge that would eventually lead him to contemplate suicide.

"I got to the point where I wanted to take my own life," he said.

For years after his accident he had suffered from insomnia and was prescribed sleeping pills. One night he begged his wife, Karen, to help him die by taking all of the pills. The night was too painful for him to want to recall. He simply said, "We cried. And decided that wouldn't be the best thing to do."

After trying everything from prayer to an herbologist, his psyche would not budge from its deeply rooted state of depression. As a last measure, his exceptional psychotherapist, Dr. Dan Gottleib, prescribed a funeral.

"I had a sheet over my face," he said. "People were giving eulogies and talking about me as though I had gone. It helped me turn my life around. I didn't want to be dead. I took away the option to die, and knew I had to live."

And so it began, his new life--from surgery, to physical therapy, to psychotherapy, to depression, over and over again.

"I was always in and out of a state of depression," said Pendergrass. "It would come and go. I don't know how to explain it--take one step forward, take two steps back. It's a gradual process trying to find who you are, and trying to find those places where you fit in."

Eventually, he learned that he could still sing. One afternoon he just took a deep breath and hummed the tune of a familiar coffee commercial aloud. "Nothing ever sounded as sweet to my ears as my version of that silly damn jingle," he wrote. That was when he knew he had taken the first step back.

His first performance after his accident was at Live Aid (the largest, highest-grossing benefit concert) with Ashford and Simpson. He received an outpouring of love and support from over 1.5 billion people in 160 countries. Although to many it would have been a time of triumph and celebration, Pendergrass converted back into an abysmal state of depression.

"Even though the performance was positive and the public thinks `oh this is great and wonderful,' I still had to go home and live with this," said Pendergrass. "I live with it 24/7 and it's not just about a performance and the hype of it, it's about how I feel about myself the next day, and the pressure that comes as a result of that - how people perceive you, how they look at you, how they view you, what they think, what they say, your self-esteem level, your emotional level."

The truth is his world had been turned upside down and inside out. And the high from one performance was not going to change that. Only love, support and understanding from the people closest to him would help him through his ordeal.

Ida, his mother, who raised her only son as a single parent, and Karen Still, who he dated for nine years and has been married to for eleven years, have been two of the constant forces in his life before and since the accident.

He tried to explain what his wife meant to him, but he was emotionally overwhelmed, and understandably so. How could one express feelings in mere words for a woman who had unconditionally loved him through such a dire experience? He humbly said, "She is a very, very positive person in my life. She has helped me through a lot of hard times."

Being abandoned by his father before his birth, and not meeting him until eleven years later taught Pendergrass to cherish and love his own wife and children, he relates.

Pendergrass has four children. Three of them are from previous relationships (Theodore Pendergrass II, Tisha Hollerway and LaDonna Hollerway) and Joyce Jones; and he has four grandchildren; Montarius, Desaray, Edwin and Antonio.

"People say sometimes that Black men do what they have had done to them, I'm not doing that," said Pendergrass. "I'm smart enough to see what is wrong and correct it--change the course, many people don't do that. They just use it as an excuse."

Another sensitive subject matter that Pendergrass addressed in his book was his alternative sexuality. It is certainly no secret that the tall, dark and handsome soloist not only sang about sexual escapades, but definitely experienced them.

He wrote: "Specially trained sex therapists and counselors talked to us in very specific terms about making adjustments ... Learning to redevelop and redefine my sexuality took some time. ..."

When writing Truly Blessed, Pendergrass also believed it was important to clear up rumors that surrounded not only his accident, but other significant events in his life that people had misconstrued. He would now have a platform to set the record straight.

His love affair with Jan Gaye, famed singer Marvin Gaye's wife, was inaccurately conveyed to the public, and he wanted to clear it up. It was rumored that Pendergrass came between Jan and Marvin's marriage. The intense affair created bad blood between the two superstars, because it occurred during a tumultuous time in Gaye's career.

Teddy or Eddie, how good does a street tranny usually look? check the neck!!!

Of course he knew and so did Eddie Murphy. These men always know, they are not stupid.

People refuse to believe that someone that doesn't look or act gay would fool around with a man. Who the hell do you think is fooling with these dragons? It is bisexual men. The straight world has just recently labeled them as "downlow" men but the gay world has always known them as "trade". These men refuse to accept in their own minds that they are anything other than straight. They prefer a dragon over a gay man because it helps them to lie to themselves even more.

These dragons do not want a gay man and the last thing a gay man wants is a dragon. Most gay men are very confident and secure with their sexuality. They want a man, not a sideshow freak. It's these twisted trade motherfuckers that are fooling with these drag queens. They fool with gay men too but they would prefer a dragon because they are actually attracted to women but a man can still give them that orgasm they want. Also, if they ever get caught with a drag queen, they always have that "excuse" that they didn't know...yeah right.

I say, it takes two to tango and you sure as hell can't be gay by yourself. If anything, these assholes are bisexuals and they need to accept it. They want to enjoy the pleasure of both the straight and the gay world but they are too weak to face the prejudice that the gay world faces. They think gay men are weak but they are the weak bitches.

Yes Teddy knew it and so did Eddie. Many of these hardcore, thug ass rappers are trade as well. I'm glad to see the general public is finding out about these men. They should have known years ago. Bust them all out of the closet because they are the main ones that have been dishing out homophobia for years. It's their turn to suffer now.
[Edited 2/22/05 2:26am]

vainandy said:

Whoah, some gay guys are bitter than a muthafucka. Forget to take your pills today buddy?

Man, he knew, he knew.
I'm from Ohilly like Teddy (although I was very young when that happened).
Oh, the hearts of women that he broke with THAT revelation. It' been long rumored that he and the tranny were engaged in a sexual act and that was caused the accident. Drugs were also involved AND a little known fact: Turquoise Irving (Dr. J's wife) was in the car that night oo. BUT she was whisked away and that was kept verrry quiet.

Wasn't tevin campbell in a similar situation?

That's the problem. There are not enough that are bitter. That's why the straight world is just now finding out about these men. As long as you accept being treated like a second class citizen, you will continue to be treated as one. It's bad enough to be looked down on by straight people, but to be looked down on by a bisexual....hell no!

Women should be pissed too. If these men weren't enjoying the best of both worlds, AIDS would never have become a problem with them. When it was learned that it also came from blood transfusions, women would never have been exposed to the disease any more after that.
[Edited 2/22/05 12:08pm]

lilgish said:

Yeah, but I don't think Tevin ever denied it.

lilgish said:

Maybe the tranny with Reddy WAS Tevin

P.S. I coulda slapped the shit outta him for covering "Shh"
Um, Tevin did you think we took you seriously????

lilgish said:

His was actually more similar to George Michael's situation - he propositioned an undercover cop.

I didn’t know the guy with Teddy died. I also heard the story that semen was found all over Teddy and supposedly the man was given him head at the time he crashed.
Sexy MF that was the same story we heard here in LA about Turquoise Irving (Dr. J's wife) being in the car that night. Maybe she was the one that was dropped off!

Anyway I hear ya! Vainandy

vainandy said:

Agreed. Its too much Down Low Brothas Shit going on and it needs to stop especially with the high incidence of AIDS. These twisted muthas needs to get a clue and stop fucking with womens emotions and health.

pennylover said:

lilgish said:

Love Teddy, but I think both he AND Eddie knew.

I guess the neck is a dead giveway, but those trannies always seem to look over processed. Maybe the procedures are more natural looking now, but it's always seemed to me that there's this prototypical "look": high cheek bones, full lips, a nice rack, hips.... It's so idealized that it verges on caricature. Think: Amanda Lepore.

You know, I could've SWORN that Kimora Lee Simmons was a tranny. To me she has the look. And considering who her husband is.... But then she gave birth...TWICE!!!


[Edited 2/22/05 16:49pm]

i always thought eddie murphy straddled both sides of the fence...

vainandy said:

Preach! (Well....)
And good call on the second point I noted in red.
And thanks for some new lingo (new to me, anyway): "dragon" and "trade."

UptownDeb said:

she probably had the sex change operation...

vainandy said:

yep, just wait for the hell to come when they find out that 50 cent has some more dollars in his closet, just screaming to get out...

missfee said:

I saw a picture of her baring her big pregnant belly. (A cynic like me needs optical proof!) But, even then, I thought it might be a prosthesis....

is it just me, or did Cat Glover look kinda tranny?

meltwithu said:

and i thought it was just me who thought that her mustache and eye brows were just a little too thick...

Am I missing something? Where in the story did Teddy say he was having sex with a tranny?

missfee said:

she looked more like a man than mikki free does(shalamar, and featured in dave chapelle's classic skit)

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

popular sex-god singer crashes car with tranny inside...they weren't going to baskins-robbins (but i'm sure somebody's cone was being licked that night)...

meltwithu said:

maybe i'm dense but teddy says he was giving someone a ride.

Thank you. I've seen so many innocent women that have gotten AIDS because they had no idea their man was fooling around. They think because he is all hard looking and acts all homophobic that he would never be anything other than straight. I've seen so many gay men get furious from the treatment they have received from these men and tell some of these women about their men, only to be told that they were "jealous because they wanted her man but her man doesn't swing that way". The women never woke up until they came back from the doctor and some of them still didn't wake up.

These men have many women on the side. These men are usually the ones that call themselves "players", the ones that are always bragging to their male friends about their female conquests. Most of the time, they are not lying either, even though they may stretch the truth sometimes to make themselves look better to the men they are bragging to.

If they don't get lucky with a woman, then, as a last resort, they will go to a gay club and pick up a man. Some of them will actually go inside but most of them don't go in the club, for fear they will be seen. They will drive around the club in circles and actually "cruise" it until they see someone they can approach. Most of them have a different anonymous sexual encounter each time they visit a gay club. Then there are those that have the "lesbian" excuse. They are very bold and don't care if people see them in the club because they are supposedly there to "pick up two lesbians for a threesome". Yes, there are some weak lesbians, with no self respect and pride, that are confused that can be talked into it, but most of the time, these men don't get lucky in this department. When they don't get lucky, there's always the gay man for a last resort.

These men have totally fulfilled their every sexual desire and fantasy, which is fine, but they have not taken the prejudice that comes with it and what's worse, they have inflicted prejudice on the very sexual partners they have slept with in order to keep the straight world's eyes off of them. They have lived the good life while the gay men and straight women have suffered.