Levi Stubbs (born Levi Stubbles), the baritone voice of The Four Tops, has died at the age of 72.
Stubbs was 19 years old when he became his career with Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, Renaldo ‘Obie’ Benson and Lawrence Payton as the Four Aims in 1954.They changed their name to The Four Tops and signed with Motown Records in 1963.
Stubbs was the lead singer on the classics ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’, ‘It’s The Same Old Song’, ‘I Can’t Help Myself’, ‘ Reach Out I’ll Be There’, ‘Standing In The Shadows of Love’ and ‘Bernadette’.
The Four Tops line-up remained consistent until 1997 when Lawrence Payton died. Renaldo Benson died in 2005.
Stubbs was diagnosed with cancer in 1995 and later suffered a stroke. He had not performed live since 2000.
Stubbs was immortalised by British songwriter Billy Bragg with the song ‘Levi Stubbs Tears’ on his 1986 album ‘Talking With The Taxman About Poetry’.
