Hi-Five singer Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark dies at 49

No cause of death was provided through the group’s social media accounts. Photo: Hi Five/Instagram

Hi-Five singer Roderick “Pooh” Clark died Monday at age 49.

The Waco, Texas-formed vocal group, that soared to the top of the Billboard pop charts with the 1991 bop “I Like (The Kissing Game),” confirmed his death through its official Instagram account on Monday.

“OUR BROTHER OG RODERICK POOH CLARK,” was the caption of an archival photo followed by a string of heart, praying hands, flower and crying emojis.

No cause of death was provided through the group’s social media accounts but TMZ cited fellow Hi-Five member Marcus Sanders as saying that Clark died due to complications from an infection and pneumonia at a hospital in Waco.

Fellow R&B act peers such as CeCe Peniston, Anthony Hamilton, Ruff Endz, Leanne “Lelee” Lyons of SWV and Silk shared condolences in the comment section.

One of the founding members of the teenage heartthrob group, Clark performed alongside late lead vocalist Tony Thompson, Toriano Easley, Sanders and Russell Neal.

The five-member group was signed to Jive Records, bringing the first taste of teen pop success to the Clive Calder co-founded independent record label. The New York City-based home of R&B and hip-hop acts such as R. Kelly, Aaliyah, Too Short, KRS-One, Whodini and Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince would go on to scale mainstream heights with Backstreet Boys, N*Sync and Britney Spears.

Other hits from the group’s Teddy Riley-produced gold-selling 1990 debut album included I Just Can’t Handle It and I Can’t Wait Another Minute, which achieved top 10 status on the R&B charts upon release.

Clark was paralysed from the chest down after a car accident in the early 1990s while on the way to a radio appearance following the release of Hi-Five’s second album, Keep It Goin’ On.

The group released its final recording with original members in 2005, titled The Return.

“We were blessed and had a great time as a family,” the group’s former manager Jonathan Kinloch shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning. “A huge part of what made it fun, was because of Roderick ‘Pooh’ Clark. He was the serious member, who made sure that the guys together worked hard. But also, we’re going to have a fun time as teenagers!”

Clark didn’t appear on a 2014 episode of the acclaimed TV One documentary series Unsung, which focused on the success and the downfall of the group. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service