Obituaries

'O-o-h Child' Singer Dies in Nearby Marietta

He lived in Cobb County and had just turned 64 on Saturday.

Clarence Burke Jr., whose R&B hit 'O-o-h Child' has been sampled in rap songs, movies and television shows, died Sunday in Marietta.

He lived here and had just turned 64 on Saturday. A cause of death was not released, according to the New York Times.

Burke was the guitar-strumming lead singer of the Five Stairsteps, which included brothers James, Dennis and Kenneth, and their sister, Alohe.

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Formed in 1965 in the siblings' native Chicago, the group had a string of hits, but none bigger than 'O-o-h Child' in 1970.

The song is ranked No. 402 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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The Five Stairsteps disbanded in the late 1970s, but the group's signature song has been revived in hits such as Tupac Shakur's 'Keep Ya Head Up,' movies such as Boyz N the Hood and TV shows such as The Bernie Mac Show.

Burke is survived by his bandmate siblings, his parents, two more brothers, Leonard and Martin; his wife, Crystal Howell-Burke; three sons, Clarence III, James IV and Khabeer; two daughters, Dichelle Connell and Nadirah Bannister; and many grandchildren.

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