Billy Henderson, vocalist with The Spinners (or The Detroit Spinners, we should say, in case you were thinking of the Liverpool folk group of the same name) has died at the age of 67. He too suffered from diabetes, and we now for certain that his death was caused by a complication related to the disease.
The Spinners also came out of fifties Detroit, originally signed to Tri-Phi Records, but later to Motown after the latter's buy out of Tri-Phi. Much of their commercial success, however, came when they signed to Atlantic Records in the seventies and, despite some eighties hits and the fact they continue to perform live to this day, that was still their most successful era.
Henderson continued to perform with the group until 2004, when he was sacked from the group after launching legal action against the group's corporate entity and business manager in a dispute over financial records.