The Horrific Accident

Ever since that tragic day in 1982, everyone’s been speculating about Teddy Pendergrass’ sexuality because all they really knew about the details surrounding that horrific accident was that a transgender woman, Tenika Watson, was riding in the car with him. Finally she’s giving us the details of that day.

Late-soul singer Teddy Pendergrass was at the height of his career when he slammed his Rolls Royce into a tree on March 18, 1982, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive.

He reportedly lost control of the vehicle, as no other car was involved in the crash. Pendergrass and his passenger, Watson, a transgender nightclub performer, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. Watson walked away from the accident with minor injuries, while Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down.

On What Made Her Finally Speak Out

In a 2014 interview with “Oprah: Where Are They Now?,” she finally opened up about her side of the story.

“I never really got a chance to tell my side of things and it was important to me. Very important to me.” – Tenika Watson

Meet Tenika Watson And What She Revealed About The Accident

Upon first meeting Teddy P., Tenika admitted that she “ran from him..”:

Tenika Watson- I met Teddy in the ’70s. I was coming down the street where I lived at, it was close to the studio where he recorded. He called me over to his car, it was a Rolls Royce. I thought he was a pimp because I wasn’t really used to people having Rolls Royces. So…that was the first time [I’d met him] and I ran from him.

Tenika was a former prostitute turned nightclub employee and model by the time she’d come across Teddy again, at a nightclub, on that unfortunate fateful night that left him paralyzed:

T.W.- I went over and spoke to him…said ‘Hi’ and said I just wanted to speak to you.’ He said “Okay,” and I said ‘I’m leaving because I have to get up to early tomorrow.’

He said, “Well I’m getting ready to leave too. Would you like a ride home?” So I said ‘Sure.’

So, we proceeded to go to his car and drive away, and that’s when the accident happened.

She continued:

TW- First, the car started speeding up really fast. And I was wondering, ‘Is he driving fast?’, but he wasn’t and was out of control. Then I noticed he was struggling with the wheel. And all of a sudden I heard this great big bang.

Next thing I know the press was there, and I got into this ambulance with him. I helped him as much as I could.

Tenika says she also suffered injuries from the car crash:

TW- I had contusions from the impact and uh, I had a chipped tooth, which is nothing compared to him.

In the days following the accident, Tenika says she tried to reach out to Teddy, and even went to the hospital to see how he was doing. However, she says a female who was there refused to let her speak with him.

FINALLY we now know the truth! You can clearly look at this woman and see that even today she looks like a woman, not a man. Also, based on what she said, it doesn’t sound like Teddy P. ever had a chance to find out that she was, in fact, a transgender womon. So there you have it folks!

Many of us are probably wondering why didn’t Teddy do more to clear his name from these false rumors regarding his sexuality? I think it’s safe to say that our beloved Teddy P. had much bigger issues on his hands after becoming paralyzed, other than entertaining a rumor that was untrue.

A lot of people have given Teddy P. and his legacy such a bad rap over the years, but this just goes to show you that everything you hear ain’t always true. Now of course, we all are sometimes intrigued by the many scandals, deceptions, and sagas of the lives of entertainers, but we are also just as intrigued by the TRUTH…or at least we should be.

Thankfully, Teddy P.’s legacy no longer has to be tainted by this particular rumor.