#but it wasn't a HUGE problem until I got back to philly

[cookinguptales]

sorry for all the melancholy text posts yesterday, I got my hip back into joint and now I'm happy again

[boricuacherry-blog]

In April of 1977, Taaz

All of black Philly up showed up for Taaz's funeral. There were stretch limousines and

detectives interviewed Teddy Pendergrass. He told them what he told everyone else - that he didn't know anything. But of course Teddy knew something - and that "something" was the problems he was having with Taaz Lang over the management contract he signed. Teddy wanted the contract terminated, as he realized Taaz would be entitled to his royalties for years. But Taaz wasn't terminating a damn thing - nothing at all!

Taaz's ex was Israel "Izzy" Lang, a 6-foot-1, 200+pound running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a sharp dresser who took pride in his wardrobe as well as his material items - items that included diamond wristwatches, gold rings, gold chains, fancy cars and a plush apartment. Now all Izzy needed was a pretty woman on his arm to match those pretty possessions. That's when he met Taaz - a smart and funny woman who had a knack for listening. And when she met Izzy, listening to his entrepreneurial dreams spurred some of her own. The two would marry, but the marriage was rocky at onset. Rumors of infidelity on Izzy's part caused them to separate, with Taaz remaining in the home they shared and Izzy moving out. Izzy's life would spiral out of control afterwards, as he was arrested for bank fraud (forging checks) - eventually losing everything and becoming homeless. Taaz, however, would continue to prosper, becoming one of the most popular hairstylists in Philadelphia. She did hair for celebrities like Nancy Wilson, Lola Falana and Dionne Warwick. She also gained recognition for turning her mother's beauty salon (where she worked) into a successful family enterprise - a feat that did not go unnoticed by Teddy Pendergrass.

Teddy began pursuing Taaz until he eventually won her over. He moved into her home and became like a stepfather to her son. Teddy begged Taaz to manage his career, as she was one of the smartest women he had ever met. She agreed to do and began putting plans in motion to launch his solo career - a solo career she would never get to see - and that's because in April of 1977, someone put a bullet in her just two months before Teddy's album was released.

Mikido Soto Jr. was Teddy's

Mikido Soto Jr. dropped a bombshell when he described Teddy's reaction to hearing that Taaz was dead. He said, "Henry Evans, Teddy's road manager, called Teddy over and said Taaz was dead. And I was like...the look that I got from both of them...I was like...this is not right. Instead of feeling some kind of regret, I'm looking at somebody that's feeling relieved."

When Taaz was alive, she told anyone who would listen that Teddy Pendergrass would become a huge star. And she was right, because after her funeral (which he performed at) Teddy became just that - a huge star. And With the release of his debut album in 1977, "Teddy Mania" swept the country like wildfire. You couldn't turn on a radio, step outside of a club or even walk down the street without hearing his music. His first five albums all went platinum or double platinum. The production company Taaz set up and financed for Teddy (Teddy Bear Productions, Inc.) was rolling in dough - so much dough Teddy couldn't spend it fast enough - although he tried. He bought a Mercedes-Benz, a Corvette and a $100k Rolls Royce. He bought expensive clothes, shoes and jewelry, as well as Harley Davidson dirt bikes and motorcycles. He even bought a 34-room mansion on 14 acres of land in the affluent community of Gladwyne. And Teddy had received his wish - a complete termination of the management contract he signed with her in 1976. But Taaz's family didn't go down without a fight. They later sued Teddy in court, claiming he acted malicious towards them after Taaz was murdered. The family wanted him to honor the original management contract he signed with Taaz, as well as pay back the $15k he borrowed from her (not sure if the lawsuit was thrown out or he settled with her estate).

And if Teddy was lonely and brokenhearted after Taaz's untimely demise, he wasn't for long - he was back to entertaining women in no time at all. In fact, he was a ladies' man - several ladies at that! And Teddy didn't forget about his homeboys either, bringing them along for the ride with the best weed, cocaine, liquor and women money could buy. It was a huge party - until it came crashing to an end.

On March 18, 1982, Teddy's Rolls Royce swerved off the road and crashed into a tree. Teddy was badly injured and knew something was wrong when he couldn't move or feel his legs. The accident left him paralyzed from the chest down (a quadriplegic) and left his reputation in limbo when it was discovered that the female passenger in his car was once a he. The discovery of a transsexual in the car, Tenika Watson, would turn Teddy's world upside down.

Depending on who you ask, Tenika Watson was either a kindhearted and misunderstood individual, or a sexual deviant doing the devil's work. But let Tenika tell it, she was just a "woman" with a tough childhood, that's all. Whatever the case was, by 1982, she had a rap sheet as long as the Nile river. Tenika had been arrested more than 40 times for prostitution and was known throughout the city for being a "transgendered prostitute." It was reported that men came from afar just to be with her, as her "sexual proclivities" was the stuff of legend in Philadelphia. Teddy first encountered her on the street one night. He called her over to his Rolls Royce, but Tenika claims she ran away, as she had mistaken Teddy for a pimp. The next time Teddy and Tenika ran into each other was the night of the accident. They were both at a nightclub when he invited Tenika to his table. Tenika joined Teddy, his girlfriend Yvette Ganier, and his friend L.T. Brinkley. In the documentary L.T. stated that Teddy told him he was going to drop one woman home and take the other to his house. The first one woman Teddy dropped off was Yvette. But Teddy and Tenika later claimed he was just giving her a ride home when the accident happened. Teddy also claimed he didn't know Tenika was transgender. But the "streets" told a different story - and that story was that Tenika and Teddy knew each other from past encounters and that "something" was going on in the car when the accident occurred. The "streets" also said Tenika was paid hush money to keep her mouth shut about the details of that night. The "streets" were saying a whole lot and the police evidently took notice, because apparently, they were also saying Teddy's accident was no accident at all. The car's brakes had been cut. And rumors abounded that the same person who killed Taaz was out for Teddy. The person was said to be an associate of Teddy's and a former associate of Taaz's - an associate who the streets said killed her back in April of 1977. This associate was now "allegedly" trying to kill Teddy over a money dispute by tampering with his vehicles. True or not, police began looking into Taaz Lang's murder investigation again for a possible connection. But they found nothing, since no one in Philadelphia would talk to police. But the fact that Teddy wrecked his Maserati one week, then his Rolls Royce the next, had many people wondering about that rumor. Many other rumors came up about that fateful night - including one that Turquoise Erving was in the car. But no one credible has come forward since to claim that. Also interesting to note - Teddy had sued Philadelphia police for harassment only a few months before the accident.

But the question still remains:

Who killed Taaz Lang?

Was it a murder-for-hire? And why was she murdered? Was Teddy's accident a set-up? Were these two incidents at all connected?