June 5, 2012 18:01
Last original member of The Platters dies
Herb Reed died in Boston hospice at the age of 83
Photo: Getty
Herb Reed, the last surviving original member of 1950s doo wop group The Platters, has died.
Reed, who was 83, passed away in a hospice in the Boston area, reports AP.
He was the only member of the vocal group to appear on all 400 of their recordings and toured with one of the numerous incarnations of the band until 2011.
Born in Kansas City, Reed founded The Platters in Los Angeles in 1952 and sang bass vocals on their hit singles, 'The Great Pretender' and 'Only You (And You Alone)'. Scroll down to watch a video of the group performing both songs in 1955. Reed is on the far left of the screen.
Though Reed quit the band in 1969, he went on to lead his own version of the influential group. In the 1990s, the exclusive right to tour as The Platters was awarded to Reed and his version of the group, but this was withdrawn in 2002 and Reed started touring as Herb Reed and His Platters.
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
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