From the Huffington Post:

A Death in the Family

Jon Landau

For those lucky enough to be at Thursday night's Obama benefit at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, the combination of John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, India Arie, and Billy Joel magically gelling into an instant super group in front of our eyes was unforgettable. The interaction among the artists was superb, the commitment of the artists fully on view, and Barak's superb speech ended with this one-night-only supergroup revving up a sensational version of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours."

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On "Reach Out, I'll be There" Levi was paired with Holland-Dozier-Holland's single greatest song and production. He rose to the challenge of fulfilling that great song's potential, and created his masterpiece. No pop performance has ever encompassed the extremes of despair, heartbreak, joy, and love more than this one.

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I was driving down Rte 128 outside of Boston and listening to WRKO, our great Sixties era Boston Top Forty. "Reach Out" came on for the first time and thirty seconds into it I pulled over to the shoulder of the highway, and just listened -- losing myself in Levi's performance, with all of its hair raising and spiritual glory. For me, time stood still and I will always remember that moment...

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Yesterday morning I woke up hung over from the joyful after-show celebration of Thursday night's triumphant Obama concert and benefit, only to learn that Levi Stubbs had passed away. As I heard the news, I had only one thought: I truly hope he died knowing just how much he meant to so many people -- (including me).

Full story at Huffington Post.com.