WILLIAM 'Poogie' Hart has been declared dead at the age of 77 as the Delfonics singer suddenly passed away after his "complications from surgery."
The lead singer of the R&B group has passed away, according to TMZ.
William, 77, was previously having trouble with his breathing.
He had been taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.
The late singer died from complications during his surgery.
With the nickname Poogie, William was born on January 14, 1945,
William and his brother, Wilbert, became the founding members of the Delfonics during the late '60s.
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The band members included Randy Cain, Ritchie Daniels, and Thom Bell.
William and his bandmate Thom wrote all of the songs in their catalog.
MUSICAL LEGACY
The Delfonics split back in 1975 after they had achieved about 12 top-20 hits on Billboard's R&B and Soul Single Chart.
Former members continued to perform in other bands through the '90s and 2000s.
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Songs including Didn't I and La-La (Means I Love You) are part of the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's heist film, Jackie Brown.
Other movies such as Spike Lee's coming of age film, Crooklyn, have used his music.
The Fugees played a version of The Delfonics' Ready Or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love) on The Score.
Ghostface Killah asked William to sing backup on his track, After the Smoke Is Clear.
The Bulletproof Wallets rapper also rhymed over the entire track of La La with his own lyrics for the song titled Holla.
Biggie Smalls, Missy Elliott, Gang Starr, and Nicki Minaj have also sampled the songs from the soul-singing group.
FANS MOURN
Delfonics fans rushed online to mourn the loss of the beloved singer.
One fan said: "There’s no Blue Magic, no Stylistics, or any other group that excelled in ballads in the early 70s (especially groups that had a primary falsetto lead singer) without the foundation of The Delfonics. RIP William Hart, now reunited with Randy Cain and Major Harris."
Another fan added: "So sad, me and my mom love The Delfonics."
A third fan mentioned La-La Means I Love You and tweeted: "A classic amongst many. Sleep in peace, William Hart."
A fourth person wrote: "One of the baddest falsetto singers of all time…Rest in Power William Hart of Philly’s Own Delfonics."
A commentator chimed in: "Damn RIP William Hart. I’ve been going to car shows with my dad ever since I was a kid and hearing oldies music like The Delfonics always made it that much better of an experience."
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