Soul singer Cuba Gooding Sr., and father of Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr., has passed away at age 72.
The singer, whose father was born in Barbados and whose mother was born in Cuba, was found dead in a car around 1 p.m. at the 22100 block of Ventura Boulevard in LA Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter says the cause of death is under investigation, but drug paraphernalia and alcohol were found in the car parked on a busy street.
Gooding Sr. who was named after the Caribbean island home of his slain mother, had his biggest hit in the 1970s with “Everybody Plays the Fool” and “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely.”
In 2009, he was named Ambassador of Goodwill to Rosarito Beach in Baja, California, Mexico
Gooding is survived by his four children, Cuba, Omar, April and Tommy, and wife Shirley.