Richard Street, who served with the Temptations during the group’s second heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, died overnight in Las Vegas. He was 70.

Street, a Detroit native, formally joined the Tempts in 1971 after a long association with the group, having performed with Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin in the ‘50s vocal group the Distants. Before joining the Temptations, he wore several hats at Motown during the 1960s, working in the label’s quality control department, recording with his group the Monitors and periodically filling in for ailing Tempts baritone Paul Williams.

He became a full-time Tempt upon Paul Williams’ departure, and was part of the Grammy-winning lineup that scored big on the pop charts with hits such as “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972) and “Masterpiece” (1973).

The Temptations racked up more than four dozen Top 40 hits on Billboard’s R&B chart during Street’s tenure with the group, which ran through 1993, when he left amid alleged personal tensions with Otis Williams.

Street and the Velvelettes’ Cal Gillis wed in 1969 and divorced in 1983.

Street, who had been ill during the past year, was close to completing a book about his life and musical career, said friend Jeanne Sorenson.

Rest in peace.

Wow - the second Tempt to pass away in a week. Both Richard Street and Damon Harris were in the group at the same time, with founding members Otis Williams and Melvin Franklin, as well as Dennis Edwards.

:rip: Richard Street...

:rip: Richard Street

Here are the Tempts (with Richard Street singing lead) on Soul Train. Damon Harris, who passed last week, is the Tempt on the far right of the four-microphone configuration.

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