'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Just a few days short of becoming an octogenarian, Musical group Tavares’ member, Ralph Tavares, passed away.
His death was confirmed through Tavares' official Facebook page in the afternoon of December 9. They wrote:
"We Are Saddened To Announce That Our Brother Ralph Has Passed Away. Please Pray For Our Family During This Difficult Time. We Do Know That He Is Now Eternally With Our Lord. We Thank You In Advance For Allowing Us To Mourn Privately As A Family."
The cause of death has not yet been revealed and an official statement regarding the same is awaited from Ralph Tavares’ family members.
The journey of Ralph Tavares and his group
Born as Ralph Edward Vierra Tavares on December 10, 1941, he was a vocalist who gained recognition as a member of the musical group, Tavares.
The band, comprised of five Cape Verdean-American brothers, began performing in 1950s with various name and member changes in the following years. They changed the name of their group in the 1970s as the public changed their preferences to dance-oriented music and Black male groups became more popular.
Tavares then delivered their first hit in 1973 with their debut album Check It Out, a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. They then remained at the top of the Billboard R&B singles chart the following year with the cover songs of Hall & Oates and She’s Gone.
The group then delivered a top 10 pop hit in 1975 with It Only Takes a Minute. It was later taken over by Take That and sampled by Jennifer Lopez in 2007. The group’s single, Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel, remained in 15th position on the Hot 100 in 1976.
Tavares’ version of More Than a Woman was featured in the film Saturday Night Fever in 1977 and remained in 32nd position in the list of Hot 100. It was also a big hit in Europe and reached the seventh position on the UK charts.
A Penny for Your Thoughts was Tavares’ final top 40 hit that made it to the Hot 100 in 1982. It was a recipient of a Grammy nomination in the category of the best R&B performance by a duo or group.
Ralph Tavares retired from the group in 1984 and worked for more than 30 years as a court officer in the New Bedford and Fall River cities of Massachusetts. He rejoined the group in 2014 for a special reunion show.
Public pays tribute to Ralph Tavares on Twitter
All of Tavares' songs were huge hits and remained on top of the Billboard charts. Ralph’s death was a big shock for the music industry, and several people paid tribute to the artist on Twitter.
Very little information is currently available on the personal life of Ralph Tavares. Further details are yet to be revealed about his family and educational background.
