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Billy Henderson, 67; co-founder of R&B; band the Spinners

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Billy Henderson, 67, a co-founder of the band the Spinners who sang “I’ll Be Around” and other hits, died Friday of complications from diabetes at a healthcare facility in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The 1972 song “I’ll Be Around” was part of a string of top 20 Spinners hits that included “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “One of a Kind (Love Affair), “Then Came You” and “The Rubberband Man.”

The five-member band of high school friends formed in the 1950s in Ferndale, Mich., a Detroit suburb. They signed with Motown but moved to Atlantic in 1972 and cultivated a Philadelphia soul sound with producer Thom Bell. They went on to be nominated for six Grammy Awards.

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Four of the original band members, including Henderson, continued to perform together until recently. He was dismissed from the group in 2004 after suing the group’s corporation and business manager to obtain financial records.

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