Robert Ward, a Georgia blues musician who played with some of
Motown's biggest artists, died Dec. 25. He was 70.
His wife, Roberta, told the Telegraph of Macon that her husband
died at his home in Dry Branch in central Georgia. She said her
husband had suffered a stroke in 2001 and never fully
recovered.
Ward, a Georgia native, moved to Ohio and founded the Ohio
Untouchables, which later became the Ohio Players. However, Ward
left the group well before its biggest successes in the mid-1970s,
when it scored No. 1 hits with "Fire" and "Love
Rollercoaster."
In the 1970s, he moved to Detroit where he performed with the
Temptations, Wilson Pickett and other Motown artists.
The vocalist and guitarist recorded multiple albums over his
career, starting in 1991 with "Fear No Evil." His last album, "New
Role Soul," was released in 2000.
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