The portly Townson was the lead singer for The 5th Dimension, the Grammy-winning pop group that had a string of hits in the late '60s, including Up, Up and Away, Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In, Wedding Bell Blues and Stoned Soul Picnic. The group, which was black, combined pop, jazz, gospel and rhythm and blues into a sound that some critics dismissed as sounding "too white," a notion Townson laughed off. The other original members were Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis. Townson continued performing until 1997, when he was forced to retire after developing the kidney disease that eventually killed him.
Passage: Ron Townson, 68
The portly Townson was the lead singer for The 5th Dimension, the Grammy-winning pop group that had a string of hits in the late '60s, including Up, Up and Away, Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In, Wedding Bell Blues and Stoned Soul Picnic. The group, which was black, combined pop, jazz, gospel and rhythm and blues into a sound that some critics dismissed as sounding "too white," a notion Townson laughed off. The other original members were Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis. Townson continued performing until 1997, when he was forced to retire after developing the kidney disease that eventually killed him.
