An Apollo sendoff for Cuba Gooding Sr.
CHART-TOPPING R&B singer Cuba Gooding Sr., as famous for his namesake son as his hit ’70s songs, took center stage at the Apollo Theater one last time Saturday.
Some 150 people, including his children Omar, April and Tommy, turned out for a heartfelt sendoff to the late Gooding (left in photo inset) at the landmark only blocks from his childhood Harlem home.
Oscar-winning offspring Cuba Gooding Jr. (right in photo inset) did not attend the two-hour memorial, according to the family.
“Mommy worked hard to put this together, and we fought her as much as we could,” said son Omar, with a chuckle. “But she said, ‘No, we’re bringing your daddy home’ — and he’s home.
“I see it when I look at y’alls faces. He’s home.”
A painted portrait of Gooding singing into a microphone stood on the famed Apollo stage, flanked by a pair of wreaths composed of pink, red and white flowers.
Gooding Sr. served as front man for the Main Ingredient, joining the band just in time for their biggest charting hits: “Everybody Plays the Fool” reached No. 3 in 1972, and “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” hit No. 10 in 1974.
The singer once captured first prize in the Apollo’s GREGG VIGLIOTTI famous Amateur Night competition with his version of “Who Can I Turn To” — a song that later appeared as the B-side to “Everybody Plays the Fool.”
The Gooding clan abandoned New York City for Southern California after the smash 1972 single. Son Cuba Jr. wound up winning an Academy Award for his performance in the 1996 movie “Jerry McGuire.”
Gooding Sr. was found dead April 20 inside his silver Jaguar in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles in the middle of the afternoon.
The cause of death remains under investigation, with reports indicating police suspected a drug overdose.
Widow Shirley Gooding said her husband was listening to the sermons of Bishop T.D. Jakes and getting in touch with his spiritual side prior to his death at age 72.
“He was talking about God,” said Shirley Gooding. “God was preparing him to go home.”
Gooding, who recorded four solo albums, “was full of love and full of laughter,” said one of his granddaughters.
Close friend and producer Charles Wallert described Gooding as the kind of vocalist that other vocalists envied.
“He was a singer’s singer, with a unique voice,” said Wallert. “Cuba was a walking exclamation point. Those of you who came in contact with him knew that. He was very special. He never, ever gave up.” A BODY pulled from the Hudson River this week is an East Harlem mother who has been missing since January, family members said Saturday.
Yuridia Merino, 32, was plucked from the water near Pier 90 by 12th Ave. in Hell’s Kitchen on Tuesday, according to officials and her family.
Merino was last seen leaving her home on E. 105th St. on Jan. 12 , police said.
Her sister, Yeny Ariza Merino, 30, said the family received confirmation from cops Friday.
Police said Merino suffered from chronic depression.
“It’s hard for me to believe that this happened even after they told me,” Merino said. “My mom believes that it’s a mistake, hoping that they’ll find my sister alive in a couple of days.”
She said her sister, a devout Christian, was carrying a Bible with her when she disappeared.
“She was very dedicated to worshipping,” Merino said of her older sister. “That’s what she believed in and that’s what we want people to remember her by.”
Merino left behind a 3-yearold girl and an 8-year-old son.