Saturday, May 23, 2026

RIP R&B Star Cuba Gooding, Sr., Father of Oscar Winning Actor, Lead Singer of the Main Ingredient

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So devastated to hear that Cuba Gooding, Sr. has passed away at age 72. He was the lead singer of the Main Ingredient, a wonderful R&B group of the 1970s. His hits included “Everybody Plays the Fool” and “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely.” They are mainstays of the pop and R&B canon. I knew Cuba Sr., we filmed him for “Only the Strong Survive.” He was a lovely man. What a shame. Cuba had the same effusive personality as the son (whom younger people will know better) and a lilting R&B tenor that was a staple of AM radio. Reports say he was found dead in his car in suburban Los Angeles. Condolences to our pal Cuba Jr., the famed actor, and all his friends and family.

 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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