Shirley Gooding is a former American singer and ex-member of the popular music band The Sweethearts. New York-born Gooding is considered one of the greatest female American singers.

Despite characterizing herself in singing, she is famous as the wife of the late Cuba Gooding Sr and the son of Cuba Gooding Jr. She is also known for her other children's fame and popularity.

All About Shirley Gooding Bio & Wiki 

Shirley Gooding belongs to American-African ancestry as her father was African and her mother was American. Unfortunately, Shirley's parents left the world without their identities being disclosed. 

Shirley is the only child of her parents, born on January 2, 1968, in New York, USA. Her birth name is Shirley Sullivan.

Talking about her educational background, she is rumored to be highly educated and holds a Ph.D. However, it is just a theory, as she has not officially confirmed it. 

About Shirley's In-Laws

Shirley Gooding is the daughter-in-law of Dudley MacDonald Gooding and Addie Alston. Both were the parents of her former husband, Cuba. 

Similar to Shirley's parents, Addie and Dudley died of natural causes. Her father-in-law Dudley died in 1955 at sixty-five, whereas her mother-in-law Addie expired in 1944 at forty-six. 

Who Is The Husband Of Shirley Gooding? Also, Know Her Wedding Details: 

Let us inform you that Shirley Gooding married only one man in her life, her late husband, Cuba Gooding Sr. But she married him twice with a mutual understanding.

Gooding and her late husband, Cuba Sr, first exchanged vows in 1996. Shirley and Cuba tied the knot in the presence of their family members and close friends. After that, they remained together until 1974, when they both got separated. 

On April 16, 1995, Gooding and Cuba Sr gave a second chance to their marriage and revived their maternal life by tying the knot with a grand celebration. Since then, they were living prosperous life until Cuba's death. 

Did You Know? Before marrying, they had been dating for two years. They first introduced each other during the performance of Jackie Wilson's Show Mr.Excitement.

Shirley Married Twice In Her Life:

Aforesaid, Goodling married her late husband Cuba twice. They married, divorced, and again gave thought to getting wedded, which became a reality. 

Goodling divorced Cuba Sr because of some financial issues. They were facing a massive economic crisis. As a result, both of them were forced to get separated. 

After twenty-one years, when everything became normal, Goodling and her late husband Cuba decided to get married for the second time. Consequently, they exchanged vows in 1995 and lived together for twenty-two years until Cuba Sr was found dead. 

Cuba Gooding Sr & His Wife Are Blessed With Four Children:

Shirley Gooding is the mother of four beautiful children. Aforesaid, one of the reasons behind her fame is her celebrity children. She and her late husband, Cuba, gave birth to three sons and one lovely daughter. 

She first became a parent after giving birth to Cuba Gooding Jr on January 2, 1968. After eight years of Cuba Jr's birth, she welcomed her second child Omar Gooding on October 19, 1976. 

Furthermore, the family of four lived happily and peacefully until the members turned five. Gooding and Cuba welcomed their third child, Tommy Gooding, on June 3, 1980. 

After giving birth to three sons, Gooding finally became the mother of one beautiful daughter. Her youngest and only daughter is April Gooding, an American actress known for her unique acting skills. (The fun fact is she is the only child who chooses acting as a career since Gooding's all three sons are renowned rappers.)

Shirley Gooding's Late Husband Career Insight

You might wonder how Shirley's late husband, Cuba Gooding Sr started his singing career. Well, he initially started his career as a backup vocalist in The Main Ingredient band.

After the death of the band's lead singer, Cuba got a chance to act as the lead singer of the group. After a few years, he left the band and started his own solo journey for some years. During this time, he made two albums, including The 1st Cuba Gooding Album. Likewise, in 1983, he made a song along with Brian Auger titled "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend".

This song became one of the heat songs of that time, due to which Cuba got worldwide recognition. In the early 1980s, Cuba again returned to The Main Ingredient and composed two albums with his band members.

Following this, he made several songs and was active in his singing career till 2009.

Cuba Gooding Sr Cause of Death: Died At Seventy-Two:

Since Cuba Sr's second marriage, he enjoyed his married relationship with Shirley to the fullest. However, this time also, they could not remain together as Cuba passed away on April 20, 2017, at seventy-two years old. 

Furthermore, Cuba was found dead in his silver Jaguar in Woodland Hills. According to the police investigation, they located him with alcohol and drugs. 

After some weeks, the postmortem also stated that he died from an alcohol and drug overdose. However, his lovely fans still believe that it was not an accident, but instead, it was murder. 

Why Did Cuba Sr Have A Country Name?

Gooding's ex-spouse Cuba's name has a pretty long history. He was named Cuba because of his late father's love life. Dudley's late father was in a married relationship with Carman Gooding before tying the knot with her late mother, Addie. 

He was happily married to his Cuban wife until the Pan-Africanism leader Marcus Garvey killed Carman because of the couple's affiliation. (Interesting Fact: Pan-Africanism is an organization established for the independence of African countries and to unite black people throughout the world.)

However, before his first wife's death, Dudley promised her to keep the name of his first son Cuba as it was the birthplace of Carman. After that, he moved to New York in 1937 and married Addie. 

After a few years of marriage, they gave birth to a beautiful son, Dudley, named Cuba, as he promised his first wife. Since then, Cuba Sr was born and raised with the name Cuba.

Shirley Gooding & Her Son Cuba Gooding Jr Net Worth:

Being a singer and always passionate about her career, Shirley Gooding has amassed a good amount throughout her profession. Even though she has not revealed the exact amount of her total fortune, she is estimated to have a net worth of $2 million or more similar to another celebrity Myra Molloy.  

On the other hand, her late husband Cuba Gooding Sr was also a millionaire with a massive fortune of $100 million. Likewise, her renowned son Cuba Gooding Jr also has $12 million in his bank account. Alysia Rogers, who portrayed a role in Boyz n the Hood in which Cuba Gooding Jr was lead cast, has a net worth of $500k.

No doubt, Gooding lives a comfortable life and is a millionaire. Some online tabloids state that she owns many mansions in America whose estimated value is millions of dollars.

A Quick Look At Music Band Sweethearts

As aforesaid, Gooding was one of the lead singers in the famous music band Sweethearts. This music group was founded around 1940 and was among the most famous music bands. As a result, this music group won many awards, including Oscar. 

Furthermore, the band featured some of the best female musicians of those days, like Carline Ray, Evelyn McGee Stone, Norma Carson, and Gooding. From 1940-1960, this female group ruled the American singing industry. 

The exciting fact is after gaining fame and success; the group later changed its name to International Sweethearts of Rhythm. However, people still recognize the female band as Sweethearts rather than the official name.

Body Measurements: Height & Weight 

Gooding is 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall and weighs around 60 kg (132 lbs). She has wrinkles on her face probably could be the result of aging. However, people are still fond of her pretty face and slender body. 

Furthermore, she has impressive black color eyes and black color hair. She has not done tattoos, and she has a dark skin tone. She often wears makeup and ornaments that make her more attractive. She believes that beauty makes her more confident. 

Shirley Gooding's Songs & Bonding With Sweethearts

Undoubtedly, Gooding is one of the most popular and successful American female singers. She made her first debut by uniting and collaborating with one of the singers of Sweethearts. Since then, she has been enjoying the success and spotlight. 

Throughout her life, she has released many songs like Everybody Plays the Fool, Just Don't Want to Be Lonely, Happiness Is Just Around the Bend, Let Me Prove My Love to You, and Spinning Around. Moreover, she also had a brief solo career with Motown Records.

Her Son Cuba Gooding Jr Is On Instagram

Well, Shirley lives a low-key lifestyle which is why there are significantly fewer talks about her details. Also, her inactivity on various social media handles makes us believe that she does not like being in the limelight.

It is also safe to assume that she is not friendly with the benefit of social media. However, we can find numerous fan page accounts of her, which her well-wishers could create. 

Regarding her son, Cuba Gooding Jr is a social media star who has amassed a tremendous fan following. His Instagram handle, @cubagoodingjr, has more than 259k followers.

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