Platters Founder Herb Reed Dies

Herb Reed, founding member of The Platters, died June 5 at a Boston-area hospice after a period of declining health.

Reed, 83, founded the group in 1953. The Platters’ No. 1 hits include “The Great Pretender,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” “My Prayer,” “Only You” and “Twilight Time.”

The Platters went through various lineup changes over the years but Reed was the only member to perform on all of about 400 recordings.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reed continued to perform about 200 shows a year with Herb Reed and The Platters or Herb Reed’s Platters until last year.