What happened to William Hart? Tributes pour in as The Delfonics lead singer dies aged 77

On July 14, 2022, William Hart passed away at 77. He gained recognition as the lead singer of the Philadelphia-based R&B/soul vocal group, The Delfonics.

William Hart’s son Hadi revealed that his father was having breathing problems. He was immediately admitted to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he died from complications related to surgery.

Detailed information on the surgery is still awaited, and it remains unknown if he was facing any other health issues in the past.

Hart wrote and composed a majority of the songs for his band, including La-La, Didn’t I, Break Your Promise, I’m Sorry and Ready or Not Here I Come.

William Hart and his brother formed a group in 1964

Hart was initially a member of various groups like Little Hart, The Everglows, the Four Guys, and others. He and his brother Wilbert founded a group called the Orphonics in 1964 and were joined by Randy Cain and Richie Daniels.

The group changed its name to The Delfonics and released its first recording, He Don’t Really Love You b/w Without You, in August 1966. This was followed by their second recording, You’ve Been Untrue b/w I Was There, in April 1967. The group then released a single, La-La, in December 1967, a big hit that topped the Billboard Hot 100.

The Delfonics released their first album La La Means I Love You, in 1968, and a few more albums followed this. After a long record of delivering successful hits, the group split into two groups in 1975. The first included Major Harris, Wilbert Hart, and Frank Washington, while the other featured William Hart with new members.

Harris joined Hart’s group in 1980 alongside Randy Cain and Washington joined Wilbert’s group in 1985. Although the lineup included Hart, Harris, and Washington, they toured as separate trios with additional members. The trio also appeared together on The Arsenio Hall Show.

The Delfonics continued to perform in 1990s and Harris and Washington recorded several numbers. The group reorganized, and all the members continued to tour. Cain later toured with Hart until his demise in 2009. Hart, along with Russell Thompkins Jr. and Ted Mills, recorded a CD, The Three Tenors of Soul.

Netizens pay tribute on Twitter

William Hart was well known as a founder and member of The Delfonics. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about his death:

Detailed information on his personal life, career, educational background, and early life is yet to be revealed.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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