Edward Patten of Gladys Knight & the Pips Dies

Jet, March 14, 2005

Edward Patten, 65, a member of the music group Gladys Knight & the Pips, died recently in a Michigan hospital.

A native of Atlanta, Patten died from complications of a stroke he suffered weeks prior, according to Lewis McTush, publicist for Crew Records, a label partnered by Patten and his cousin and fellow Pip William Guest.

Patten, who battled with diabetes, had been living in Detroit and was a patient at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, MI, at the time of his death.

Known for his high-tenor style, Patten joined Gladys Knight, her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousin William Guest to become a Pip in 1959.

The group became a prominent part of the Motown music scene in Detroit in the mid- to late-1960s and early 1970s with the hits Midnight Train to Georgia and Love Overboard.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

When the group eventually broke up to pursue solo careers, Patten and Guest formed Crew Records in Atlanta.

Patten is survived by his wife, Renee Brown, and children Stephanie, Steve, Sonya, Edward II and Elliot.

At JET press time no funeral plans had been made; however, the funeral is expected to take place in Detroit with a memorial service in Atlanta.