Levi Stubbs

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To measure the man solely by his golden, powerful and gut-wrenching voice would be a discredit to Levi Stubbs, who died Oct. 17 at 72. Although his voice is undeniably among the great ones of his time, Stubbs' heart and character far exceeded any simple measurement of vocal talent.

As a good friend of Levi's--the two of us had been close since he moved in with me when he was 16 years old--I know he turned out to be truly a man full of love for his family and full of love for the "Four of Us" as a group: Renaldo (Obie) Benson, Lawrence Payton, Levi and me.

We had great fun growing together in the music world. Even before coming to Motown, we did stints in Las Vegas, sang backup vocals for Billy Eckstine and performed several other musical feats.

In 1963, with the beginning of Motown, Levi's voice catapulted the Four Tops to heights we had never dreamed of, with such hits as "Baby I Need Your Loving," "Reach Out," "Bernadette," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and many more.

He will be greatly missed in the music world. But to me personally, this is the end of a very special time in my life, as I am the last Four Top standing. Levi's voice, memory, love, character and commitment to all of us--his family and his extended musical family--will always remain in my heart. I am deeply saddened and will be for some time. Yet as Levi would say, "The Show Must Go On."

Fakir tours with a version of the Four Tops that includes two Motown veterans and Payton's son Roquel