Singer Jimmy Ruffin, who had hits with "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold On (To My Love)," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital, according to The Associated Press. He was 78. No details were immediately available about the cause of death. 
 
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 The singer's children, Philicia Ruffin and Jimmy Lee Ruffin, Jr., reported his death. "Jimmy Ruffin was a rare type of man who left his mark on the music industry," they said in a statement. "My family in its entirety is extremely upset over his death. He will truly be missed. We will treasure the many fond and wonderful memories we all have of him." 
 
 "Jimmy Ruffin was a phenomenal singer," Motown Records founder Berry Gordy said in a statement. "He was truly underrated because we were also fortunate to have his brother, David, as the lead singer of the Temptations, who got so much acclaim. Jimmy, as a solo artist, had 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,' one of the greatest songs put out by Motown and also one of my personal favorites. 
 
 "He was a wonderful human being, quiet and unassuming, who touched many lives with his music, not just here in the states, but overseas, as well. Jimmy Ruffin will always be a part of the Motown legacy, and I extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans." 
 
 Ruffin, who was the older brother of late Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, was born in Collinsville, Mississippi in 1936. He signed with Motown and released the Top 10 hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" in 1966. Through the rest of the decade, he had hits with "I've Passed This Way Before," "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got," "Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby" and "I'll Say Forever My Love." He earned his final Hot 100 hit for a decade, "Maria (You Were the Only One)," in 1970. That same year, he collaborated with David as the Ruffin Brothers on I Am My Brother's Keeper, which featured their renditions of "Stand by Me" and "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother." 
 
 Jimmy would go on to experience a comeback in 1980 when "Hold On (To My Love)" bowed at Number 10 on the Hot 100. The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb had co-written the tune with songwriter and keyboardist Blue Weaver, both of whom co-produced the singer's final record, Sunrise. That album contained three songs written by the Bee Gees and one, "Where Do I Go," that Andy Gibb co-wrote. 
 
 According to the AP, Ruffin lived in England for several years. In 1984, he collaborated with Paul Weller's post-Jam band the Style Council for the song "Soul Deep," a benefit single meant to raise money for striking U.K. coal miners. Later that decade, he would record with the British pop group Heaven 17, and in the Nineties, the singer hosted a radio show in the U.K. After his brother, David, died of an overdose, he became an outspoken anti-drug advocate. In 1998, actor Lanman Rucker portrayed Jimmy in the NBC miniseries The Temptations. 
 
 According to SoulTracks, Ruffin was reportedly writing new music in 2011 and 2012 after having relocated to Las Vegas. 

 NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown singer whose hits include "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" and "Hold on to My Love," died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 78. 
 
 Philicia Ruffin and Jimmy Lee Ruffin Jr., the late singer's children, confirmed Wednesday that Ruffin had died. There were no details about the cause of death. 
 
 Ruffin was the older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, who died in 1991 at age 50. 
 
 "Jimmy Ruffin was a rare type of man who left his mark on the music industry. My family in its entirety is extremely upset over his death. He will truly be missed," a statement from Philicia Ruffin and the Ruffin family said. "We will treasure the many fond and wonderful memories we all have of him." 
 
 Jimmy Lee Ruffin was born on May 7, 1936, in Collinsville, Mississippi. He was signed to Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," which became a Top 10 pop hit. 
 
 He had continued success with songs such as "I've Passed This Way Before" and "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got," but Ruffin marked a comeback in 1980 with his second Top 10 hit, "Hold on to My Love." The song was produced by Robin Gibb, the Bee Gees member who died in 2012. 
 
 Ruffin worked with his brother David in the 1970s on the album, "I Am My Brother's Keeper." 
 
 Ruffin also lived in England for many years. 
 
 Funeral arrangements are pending, the family said. 
 
 "We appreciate all of the love and prayers from our family, friends, his colleagues and his adoring fans," the statement said. 

 Image caption Ruffin, pictured in 1998, was approached to join the Temptations before his brother 
 
 Jimmy Ruffin, the Motown performer who scored his biggest hit with 1966's What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, has died at the age of 78. 
 
 News of his death follows reports last month that he was seriously ill and in intensive care at a Las Vegas hospital. 
 
 Born in Mississippi, Ruffin moved to Detroit in the early 1960s and was signed to Motown's Miracle label. 
 
 He moved to the UK in the 1980s, where he recorded songs with Paul Weller and Heaven 17. 
 
 Ruffin's other hits included I've Passed This Way Before, Gonna Give Her All the Love I Got and Hold On To My Love, a top 10 hit in 1980. 
 
 His younger brother David, one of the early members of the Temptations, died in 1991 of a drug overdose, prompting his sibling to become an anti-drug campaigner. 
 
 A family statement said that Ruffin was "a rare type of man who left his mark on the music industry". 
 
 "We will treasure the many fond and wonderful memories we all have of him" the statement said. 
 
 Motown Records founder Berry Gordy said he was a "phenomenal singer". 
 
 "He was truly underrated because we were also fortunate to have his brother, David, as the lead singer of The Temptations, who got so much acclaim" he told Rolling Stone. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jimmy Ruffin sings his biggest hit What Becomes of the Broken Hearted 
 
 Ruffin's other credits include Jimmy Ruffin's Sweet Soul Music, a seven-part series he made for BBC Radio 2 in the 1990s. 
 
 His last album, There Will Never Be Another You, was released in 2012.
– The Motown singer whose ballad "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was a big hit in 1966 has died at the age of 78. Jimmy Ruffin died Monday in a Las Vegas hospital of undisclosed causes, family members confirm to the AP. Ruffin, originally from Mississippi, moved to Detroit in the early 1960s and had a string of hits after signing to Motown's Miracle label, reports the BBC. Comeback hit "Hold On to My Love" made the top 10 in 1980. Ruffin, who lived in England for many years, became a prominent anti-drug campaigner when his brother David—an early lead singer of The Temptations—died of an overdose in 1991. "Jimmy Ruffin was a phenomenal singer," Motown Records founder Berry Gordy tells Rolling Stone. "He was truly underrated because we were also fortunate to have his brother, David, as the lead singer of The Temptations, who got so much acclaim." Ruffin was a "wonderful human being, quiet and unassuming, who touched many lives with his music, not just here in the states, but overseas, as well," Gordy says. "Jimmy Ruffin will always be a part of the Motown legacy, and I extend my sincere condolences to his family, friends, and fans."