Temptations Singer Otis 'Damon' Harris Dies At 62 From Prostate Cancer: Singer Performed on "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" [VIDEO]

Temptations singer Otis "Damon" Harris is dead at 62, following a 14-year battle with prostate cancer.

Family spokesperson Chick Woodson told the Chicago Tribune that the Temptations star dies following a hospital stay that began back in November. Last week Harris had been transferred to a hospice Joseph Richey Hospice in the Baltimore neighborhood of Seton Hill.

By the end of summer, the singer's illness had "gotten pretty bad," Woodson said.

A decade younger than the rest of the group, Harris joined Motown legends The Temptations in 1971, when he was 21, as the group was in the middle of the highly influential psychedelic soul phase of their 50-year-career.

Albums like 1970's "Psychedelic Shack" and 1973's "1990" (the latter featuring Harris) created a new sound for male group vocals, blending the robust soul harmonies The Temptations were known for on 1960s hits like "My Girl," with a harder electric sound pioneered by psychedelic rock acts like Jimi Hendrix and Cream.

Numerous other soul groups including Isaac Hayes and the Isley Brothers followed suit, adding screaming electric guitars and long instrumental breaks to their albums.

As a high school kid in Baltimore Harris had idolized The Temptations, particularly the voice of singer Eddie Kendricks who he ended up replacing in the group. He even emulated Kendricks in a tribute band called The Young Tempts that recorded for T-Neck records in 1970.

In 1972, Harris, who assumed the name Damon after joining The Temptations because bandleader Otis Williams already had that name, performed on the epic 7-minute long "Papa Was A Rolling Stone."

The song went on to become number one on the pop charts and earned the Temptations their second Grammy in 1973 for Best R&B Performance by a Group. The Grammy was singer Harris's first.

In 1978, Harris recorded his only solo album, "Silk" for the Fantasy Records label.

After the Temptations singer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the late 1990s, he became an aggressive advocate for cancer awareness. He didn't want others to suffer for delaying getting checked for the disease, like he had.

"He didn't want anyone to suffer the consequences that he suffered for not doing that," Woodson said.

See Harris perform The Temptations classic "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" here:

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