William “Poogie” Hart, frontman of Philadelphia-based R&B band The Delfonics, has died. He was 77.
His son, Hadi, told TMZ that his father was having trouble breathing and was taken to Temple University Hospital in his hometown, where he died Thursday due to complications during surgery.
Hart and his brother, Wilbert, founded the Delfonics in the late 1960s with members Randy Cain, Ritchie Daniels, and Thom Bell.
The siblings already wrote their own songs for the group, including their chart-topping hits “La-La (Means I Love You)”, “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)”, “Break Your Promise”, “I ‘m Sorry’ and ‘Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love)’.
The Delfonics won a Grammy in 1971 for “Didn’t I” for best R&B performance by a duo or group, vocal or instrumental. The song, as well as “La-La”, was also featured in Quentin Tarantino’s movie “Jackie Brown”.
Their songs also appeared in the movies “Crooklyn” and “The Family Man”.
“Ready or Not Here I Come” and “Funny Feeling” were also played on the radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
Before the original band broke up in 1975, the Delfonics had 12 top 20 hits on Billboard’s R&B and Soul Single Chart. They are also credited with helping develop the Sound of Philadelphia, or TSOP, a “tight, soulful” style of music popular in the City of Brotherly Love.