Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving original member of the Motown group the Four Tops, has died. He was 88.
The cause was heart failure, a family spokesperson said, adding the music legend died at home in Detroit surrounded by loved ones and family.
The Four Tops dominated the charts and music airwaves for decades, peaking in the 1960s with 11 top-20 hits and two No. 1’s between 1964 and 1967.
Some of the group’s beloved favorites included: “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Bernadette” and “Just Ask the Lonely.”
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who, through his 70-year music career, touched the lives of so many as he continued to tour until the end of 2023, and officially retired this year,” his family told the Detroit Free Press in a statement. “As the last living founding member of the iconic Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”
Fakir was a co-founder of the group and continued with new members after the deaths of his fellow original singers Levi Stubbs in 2008, Renaldo “Obie” Benson in 2005 and Lawrence Payton in 1997.
Fakir kept the group’s “showmanship, class and artistry” alive, Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement.
“Duke was first tenor — smooth, suave, and always sharp,” Gordy said. “For 70 years, he kept the Four Tops’ remarkable legacy intact.”
Fakir is survived by his wife, Piper Fakir, a daughter, five sons and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, according to the Detroit Free Press.
With News Wire Services