David Ruffin will always be remembered as the soul-stirring voice behind The Temptations’ biggest hit, “My Girl.” With his deep, emotionally charged delivery, Ruffin became one of Motown’s most magnetic frontmen. But beyond the music, his personal life told a far more chaotic and heartbreaking story—one marked by fame, betrayal, abuse, and tragedy.
Born in Mississippi, Ruffin joined The Temptations in 1964, seizing his big break with an impromptu on-stage performance that impressed everyone, including Motown executives. From that moment on, his voice became synonymous with soul music. But the higher Ruffin climbed, the more unstable his life became.
At first, things seemed promising. He married Sandra Ruffin and started a family, fathering three daughters. Yet, behind closed doors, things quickly unraveled. Multiple women—most notably Jenna Saia and famed singer Tammi Terrell—entered his life, and with them came allegations of infidelity, emotional manipulation, and abuse.
Jenna, the mother of Ruffin’s only son, David Jr., would later publish a memoir revealing disturbing details of their relationship. She described years of physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, fueled by Ruffin’s growing drug addiction. “Love was pain,” she wrote, recounting how David’s charm masked a deeply wounded and volatile man. Even after she bore his son, Ruffin betrayed her—marrying another woman, Joy Hamilton, while Jenna waited at home.
But perhaps the most tragic relationship was with Tammi Terrell. Their whirlwind romance was publicly celebrated, but privately, it was toxic. Ruffin allegedly struck Tammi multiple times, once with a motorcycle helmet. Tammi, already suffering from migraines and declining health, passed away in 1970 from a brain tumor. Marvin Gaye, her duet partner and close friend, blamed Ruffin’s abuse for her death.
Ruffin’s behavior spiraled further as his ego inflated. He clashed with Motown executives and bandmates, demanding top billing and skipping performances. His dismissal from The Temptations in 1968 came after he abandoned a show to impress Dean Martin’s daughter, Barbara Gail Martin. His career would never fully recover.
Though he made attempts at a solo comeback and even performed with Hall & Oates at the Apollo, his drug use continued to plague him. Legal troubles followed—tax evasion, arrests, rehab stints—and yet, through it all, Ruffin remained a deeply admired artist. Rod Stewart, Marvin Gaye, and Daryl Hall all praised his voice as one of the greatest in soul music history.
Tragically, Ruffin died in 1991 after a drug overdose under mysterious circumstances. Rumors swirled about missing money and possible foul play. His body, brought to the hospital in a limousine, was pronounced dead at 3:55 a.m. He was just 50 years old.
Even after death, controversy followed. A miniseries portrayal of his final days sparked a lawsuit from his estate, which they ultimately lost. Years later, Ruffin’s son would face domestic abuse charges himself, echoing a painful cycle of trauma.
David Ruffin’s story is not just one of talent and fame, but of complexity, wounds, and missed redemption. His voice made women swoon and critics weep, but the man behind the music left behind a trail of heartbreak. And yet, for many fans, his songs remain timeless—painful, beautiful echoes of a man torn between greatness and self-destruction.