Dennis Edwards' death last week is under investigation following the revelation of an emergency protection order filed in January that alleged the Temptations lead singer suffered neglect and abuse from his wife in the weeks before, The Detroit News reported.
The 74-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member died on Thursday from what his wife Brenda Edwards reported was complications from meningitis.
However, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in Illinois failed to confirm that. Instead, Becky Schlickerman said on Monday that the “manner and cause of death are pending” and under investigation.
It has since emerged that Dennis Edwards had reportedly requested a protection order be filed against his wife by the Health Care Consortium of Illinois, which was granted on Jan. 18, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
According to court documents from the Healthcare Consortium of Illinois, Brenda Edwards allegedly had attempted to suffocate her husband, who was “bed bound and immobile,” by holding his face down onto the bed.
The couple lived together but Dennis Edwards was then removed from the home and his wife was barred from contact with him, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said.
A hearing related to the protective order was set to take place on Friday but was cancelled after Dennis Edwards’ death.
Brenda Edwards refuted the allegations in a statement released on Tuesday.
“I loved Dennis and we were married for 18 years,” she said, per The Detroit News. “I would have never done anything to harm him. These allegations are false and defamatory and will be proven as such. Until this is all over, I have no further comment.”
Dennis Edwards joined Temptations in 1968 and continued to perform on and off with the group for two decades, CBS News reported.
In 1989 he and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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