Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of the iconic Motown group The Four Tops, has died at 88. His family confirmed on Monday that he passed away at his home in Detroit due to heart failure.
The Four Tops, formed in the late 1950s, became a cornerstone of the Motown era, famous for hits like “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).”
“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 said in a statement.
“As the last living founding member of the iconic The Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”
Fakir, along with Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton, formed the group in the late 1950s, but they only found success in the early 1960s.
The group stayed together until Payton’s death in 1997. Benson and Stubbs passed away in 2005 and 2008, respectively.
In 1990, when The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Stevie Wonder praised their professionalism and spirit: “The things I love about them the most – they are very professional, they have fun with what they do, they are very loving, they have always been gentlemen,” he said.
Fakir was the son of Ethiopian and Bangladeshi immigrants and spent his entire life in Detroit, growing up in a tough neighborhood.
“Once we started singing, our whole perspective of life changed,” Fakir said in a 2022 interview with The Detroit News.
“We just started looking at the beauty of life and traveling and being able to sing to the world and making people happy.”
Singer Smokey Robinson, speaking to the Detroit Free Press, expressed his sorrow at Fakir’s passing: “My brother, I really hate to have to say goodbye, but you’ve been called home by the Father to once again join Lawrence, Obie and Levi and make more of the heavenly music you guys made while here,” Robinson said.
“I’m going to miss you, my brother.”
In 2022, Fakir published a memoir titled *I’ll Be There: My Life With the Four Tops*.
He leaves behind his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
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