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William Guest, Original Member of Gladys Knight and the Pips, Dead at 74

William Guest Death

The loss of a music legend. William Guest, one of the original members of Gladys Knight and the Pips, died in Detroit on Thursday, December 24. He was 74.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer suffered from congestive heart failure, his sister-in-law, Dhyana Ziegler, told the Associated Press.

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“My heart is broken, but I know his legacy will live on,” Guest’s daughter, Monique Guest, said in a statement.

In addition to being an integral part of the four-person family musical act, Guest was also singer Knight’s cousin (the other members included Knight’s brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and fellow cousin Edward Patten).

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The foursome performed together from 1953 to 1989 and won several Grammys for their hits throughout the years, including “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” and “Love Overboard.”

Gladys Knight & The Pips: William Guest
Gladys Knight, The Pips: William Guest, Eddie Patten, Merald “Bubba” Knight

Gladys Knight and the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Apollo Hall of Fame in 2006.

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Guest later formed a production company with Patten — Patten and Guest Productions — after the group disbanded, and he managed artists through the Crew Entertainment Company after Patten died in 2005.

The beloved singer released his autobiography, Midnight Train From Georgia: A Pip’s Journey, in 2013.

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