One of the ladies was telling the other one how sad it was that Teddy Pendergrass died. She was talking about the beautiful music that he made in the 70’s and 80’s. She went on to emphasize that he was paralyzed in a car accident in the early eighties and died a few years later. She just kept going on and on until I could not take it any longer. I interrupted the lady and apologized for listening to her conversation. I said Miss, Teddy Pendergrass is not dead. She looked at me as though I was crazy. She said I know what I am talking about; He died in the early eighties from injuries that he sustained in an automobile accident while riding around with a transvestite. I quickly remembered the old saying that “you should not argue with a fool, because it is difficult to determine who the fool is.” I simply butted out of the conversation and left the eatery. When I returned to my home I did a little research and confirmed my belief that the lady was absolutely wrong. 

Teddy is alive and well. In fact as late as 1996, he starred alongside Stephanie Mills in the touring production of the gospel musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. He published his autobiography, Truly Blessed in 1998. In 2007, Teddy returned to the stage to perform in Teddy 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope & Possibilities, a 25^th anniversary awards ceremony that marked his accident date. Many times people pass on inaccurate information; they simply talk without accurate facts. You will be well advised to check things out before you repeat things that you hear.