A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee recently passed away.
According The Los Angeles Timeslongtime member of the R&B group, the Drifters, Charlie Thomas, To deceased at the age of 85. Friend of Thomas, Pierre Lemongello Jr. confirmed the singer died Jan. 31 at his home in Bowie, MD.
“He was getting older, but he was active almost every weekend,” Lemongello said The New York Times. “Unfortunately he went from being active to being at home and he started to go downhill.”
He passed away after losing a battle with liver cancer.
The veteran artist was inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 with his fellow Drifters Ben E. King, Bill Pinkney, Clyde McPhatter, Gerhart Thrasher, Johnny Moore, And Rudy Lewis.
According U Discover the music, Thomas, who was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, began his singing career with a band called the Five Crowns. He and the other band members were recruited to become The Drifters after George Treadwellwho owned the band’s name, fired the original members in 1958.
Thomas played with the band on and off for over 60 years. The singer left the Drifters in 1967, but joined them in 1988, when the group was inducted into the rock and roll Hall of Fame. They recorded several hit records, including “There Goes My Baby”, “Under the Boardwalk”, “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me”.
Thomas also recorded lead vocals on 1961’s “Sweets For My Sweet”, as well as the popular song “When My Little Girl Is Smiling”.
He also received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999.
A memorial service for Thomas is scheduled for Feb. 16 at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Landover, MD.
Thomas leaves behind his wife, Rita Thomas; his two daughters, Crystal Thomas Wilson, And Victoria Green; his three sons, Charlie Jr., Michael Sidbury And Brian Godfreyas well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.