Biography

Was offered the chance to sing with The Temptations, but he politely declined and suggested his younger brother, David Ruffin. David then sang some of The Temptations' classic songs, including "Beauty's Only Skin Deep", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and, most notably, "My Girl".

His most famous song was "What Becomes of The Brokenhearted".

Older brother of David Ruffin.

Distant cousin of The Temptations' bass singer, The Temptations.

Father of Jimmy Ruffin Jr.. Uncle of Cheryl Ruffin, Nedra Ruffin, Kimberly Ruffin-Jones, and David Ruffin Jr..

I never wanted to be a professional singer. I wasn't ambitious. It was just that I loved singing.

I was about to re-enlist when the woman who booked the acts said I should turn professional.

Sometimes I had to take a leave of absence from Ford for a week to play theaters like the Apollo, and tour with the Motortown Revue.

[Talking about how he got the song 'What Becomes of the Broken Hearted']: "I heard this tune being sung by the writer James Dean. The song had the kind of words one can feel and it was a beautiful, melodic song. When I asked him whom the song was for, he told me the Spinners were going to cut it. But I told him to give it to me instead. He liked my version enough to let me have it."

[Talking about the rise to star status]: "Things started moving real fast for me, too fast. I wasn't sure what was happening to me. The pressure is incredible. A lot of people died from the pressure, including my brother David. Suddenly you're moving up in society, going to places you're not really prepared for."