Post by BROWNJB1 on Jul 10, 2005 14:01:08 GMT -5
With the recent death of Luther Vandross, I forgot to mention about the death of Renaldo "Obie" Benson. Benson died on July 1, the day as Luther Vandross and was one of the member of the legendary Motown group "The Four Tops". He had been in failing health in recent weeks, with circulation problems in his legs, with led to him getting his legs amputated, heart attack, and his recent diagnosis with lung cancer, all in the last few weeks. The Four Tops were one of the most successful groups in Motown's history. They scored big smashes like, "Baby, I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself", "Reach Out, I'll Be There", "Standing In The Shadows Of Love", "Bernadette", and many others. They all come from my hometown of Detroit. They had the distinction of having gone the longest with their original lineup (for over 40 years). But in recent years, their original lineup got smaller, with the 1997 death of Lawrence Payton, Levi Stubbs' stroke in 2002, and the now death of Benson. Abdul Fakir is now the only original member still performing with the group. Last year, the Four Tops did some commercials for Art Van furniture, and I have an autograph picture of them at Art Van, since my sister actually works there. Renaldo "Obie" Benson dead at 69.