Damon Harris & Richard Street of the Legendary Temptations Pass Away in February

Cover Photo, The Temptations (L to R) Dennis Edwards, Damon Harris, Otis Williams. Top row Melvin Franklin & Richard Street. Inside Photo-Richard Street. Photo By Kim Webster.

By Kim Webster

The music of the Temptations is the soundtrack to many events in our lives.  Those melodic, romantic songs were used to woo the ladies and the up-tempo songs made us dance!  On February 18, 2013 tenor/falsetto Damon Harris (born Otis Robert Harris on July 17, 1950) died from prostate cancer.  He performed with the Temptations from 1971 – 1975, replacing his idol Eddie Kendrick who left the group and became a successful solo artist.  Damon continued performing and attended college after his tenure with the Temptations.  At age 47 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and in 2001 founded The Damon Harris Cancer Foundation.

Singer/songwriter Richard Street (born Richard Allen Street on October 5, 1942) was the cousin to fellow Temptation Melvin Franklin who died February 23, 1995.  Richard also performed with The Distants and on The Monitors’ hit “Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)” in the ’60’s.  He regularly filled in for fellow Temptation Paul Williams because of Paul’s illness.  When Paul had to retire, Richard officially joined the Temptations in 1971 and remained until 1993.  Richard and Damon can be heard on several hits including the 3-time Grammy winner “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” “Masterpiece,” “Hey Girl, (I Like Your Style).”   Richard is also on the ‘80’s hit “Treat Her Like a Lady” written by the late Ali-Ollie Woodson and the only living original Temptation Otis Williams.   On February 27, 2013 Richard Street died from a pulmonary embolism in a Las Vegas NV hospital.  At press time funeral arrangements were pending in the city of Cypress CA.

A beautiful song and epitaph to Damon Harris and Richard Street is the song “Heavenly.”  The richness of Damon’s falsetto and the alternate lead of Richard Street are as its title…heavenly.