Climbing the ladder of success as a member of the 60's-70's music group The Temptations, the man known as Otis "Damon" Harris died Monday after a failed 14-year-long battle with prostate cancer. He was 62, reported Reuters.
"Harris died at the Joseph Richey Hospice in Baltimore," said family spokesman Chuck Woodson. "He was in remission until three years ago. The cancer had gotten pretty bad by the end of last summer," Woodson added, according to Chicago Tribune.
Once the caner had "gotten pretty bad" it resulted in Harris staying in the hospital, from November until last week, when he was transferred to the hospice, according to Chicago Tribune.
He joined the group he idolized as a teenager in 1971 after auditioning at the age of 21, even though he was more than a decade younger than the other members.
According to Chicago Tribune, his joining the group came with one condition:
He had to change his first name because the group already had an Otis - founding member Otis Williams.
With harris, the group won three Grammy awards, recorded nine gold records and he also lent his voice to hits including "Take a Look Around" and "Masterpiece." He left the group in 1975.
After his original diagnosis, Harris became an advocate for men getting regular prostate exams. He was also active with the organization Stand Up to Cancer. Woodson said Harris became vocal about cancer awareness because he had waited too long to get checked by a doctor, stated Chicago Tribune.
"He didn't want anyone to suffer the consequences that he suffered for not doing that," Woodson said.
Examiner put it best when saying, "The Temptations singer died young but he did a lot of good things in his life. He will be greatly missed by family and friends and will always be remembered for his talents."
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