Four Tops’ Payton Dies Of Cancer At 59

Lawrence Payton, a member of the Four Tops who gave the Motown group its distinctive harmonies, died Friday of liver cancer. He was 59.

The Four Tops have sold more than 50 million records and recorded such hits as “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch).”

Lead singer Levi Stubbs said Payton was crucial because “he was responsible for the harmony.”