Obie Benson Of 'Four Tops' Dies

[bigted]

Friday, July 1, 2005

BY BRIAN McCOLLUM

FREE PRESS POP MUSIC WRITER

Motown lost a musical pillar Friday.

Renaldo (Obie) Benson, who for more than half a century provided the bass vocal foundation to the Four Tops' lush harmonies, died Friday morning at Harper Hospital in Detroit. He had turned 69 on June 14.

Benson had been battling a sudden onset of medical problems. Last month, he suffered a heart attack after the amputation of a leg because of circulation problems. He was subsequently diagnosed with lung cancer, and began intense, stage-four chemotherapy last week.

Abdul (Duke) Fakir and Levi Stubbs remain the two surviving members of the Four Tops, founded in 1954 on Detroit's northeast side and heralded as one of the longest-running acts in the history of American popular music. Vocalist Lawrence Payton, Benson's closest boyhood friend, died in 1997.

Benson "enjoyed every moment of his life," Fakir said through a publicist Friday. "He put a smile on everyone's face, including my own."

The outgoing Benson, who played a key role in directing the Four Tops' concert choreography, was known as a reliable source of comic relief within the group, which was a veteran ensemble by the time it signed to Motown Records in 1963. The quartet's statistics on the Billboard pop charts remain formidable: 24 hits in the top 40, seven in the top 10, and two No. 1s.

Many of the songs Benson recorded with his group mates remain radio staples, including "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "Bernadette."

Benson rarely slowed down during his tenure with the Tops, who celebrated their 50th anniversary with a bash at the Detroit Opera House last summer. Even as he hit his 60s, he continued to spend more than a third of each year on the road, performing Four Tops shows across the world.

His last significant performance came on April 8, when the group played "Late Show With David Letterman."

As his condition worsened in recent weeks, Benson was replaced onstage by Payton's son, Roquel Payton.

Benson is survived by two daughters, Eboni Benson and Tobi Benson, and an ex-wife with whom he remained close, Valaida Benson.

Funeral arrangements are not yet available.

[Da Brakes]

RIP

[Turntable]

Thats terible to hear..R.I.P :thatsux:

[Vipa]

RIP..

I hate to say this, but does anyone notice how Celebrities always seem to leave us in groups. like it's never just 1. It's always more...Sucks.

[Da Brakes]

Yeah! They say things like these happen in threes.

[bigted]

:word: It always seems to be that way, Johnny Cocran died the same time as the Pope and now Obie Benson dies the same time as Luther Vandross'! :thatsux:

Edited July 2, 2005 by bigted

[Luigie]

:shakehead: R.I.P.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Rest In Peace. He definitly left a huge impact on music as part of The Four Tops. I grew up knowing The Four Tops were amoung the greatest groups in R-N-B...but in the last few years, since i've really got in2 oldies...especially Motown, i totally appriciate what these music legends have done.