R. Dean Taylor, the Canadian singer-songwriter on Motown Records who hit No. 1 in 1970 with , has died at 82.
His widow Janee says her husband died at their Los Angeles home on Jan. 7, more than a year after he contracted COVID-19 and was placed in hospice care.
Taylor is considered one of the most successful white musicians on the Black-owned Motown label, but he often worked in the shadows of his contemporaries.
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The Toronto-born musician first built his name behind the scenes as a songwriter, co-writing the smashfor the Supremes, for the Temptations and, recorded by the Four Tops.
Taylor brought his vocals to Motown in 1965 with the release of his solo single , which led to his biggest hits , and .
His 1967 single flopped on its initial release in North America but years later found a second life overseas as part of Britain's northern soul movement.
