Cuba Gooding Sr., lead singer of 1970s soul group The Main Ingredient and and father of Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., was found dead in his car on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.
Gooding, 72, was slumped over the wheel of his Jaguar when he was found about 1 p.m. in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, authorities told the Los Angeles Times.
Sources told the Times police found alcohol containers and drug paraphernalia in Gooding's car. The investigation into the cause of his death has been turned over to the Los Angeles County prosecutor's office.
TMZ reported sources saying the fire department attempted to revive him on the scene but failed.
Cuba Gooding Jr. was in Toronto filming the movie "A Life in a Year" when he learned of his father's death, said TMZ. A photograph showed what appeared to be a solemn Gooding on the movie's set Thursday.
TMZ said Gooding Sr. and his wife Shirley married each other twice, the last in 1995 and had four children.
The Main Ingredient produced several gold records in the 1970s, including hits "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely," "Happiness is Just Around the Bend," "Rolling Down a Mountainside" and their biggest hit "Everybody Plays the Fool," reported Rolling Stone magazine.
Gooding signed with Motown as a solo act in 1977 and released two albums before returning to The Main Ingredient in 1979, staying with the group through the 1980s, noted Rolling Stone. He scored a solo hit in 2012 with "This Christmas."
Fans shared their condolences on Twitter.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.