Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the original Motown legend and last member of the Four Tops, died of heart failure at his home in Detroit on Monday, July 22, at the age of 88, his family confirmed to The New York Times.
I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Reach Out, I’ll Be There, It’s the Same Old Song, Standing in the Shadows of Love, Baby I Need Your Loving and Bernadette are some of the tracks that best define not only Mystic but also the musical legacy of the Four Tops. The first two songs on the list, for the record, reached the No. 1 spot on the music charts.
The group worked closely with renowned songwriters Brian and Eddie Holland and Lamont Dozier to write most of their hits. More information about Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir and the Four Tops is below!
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir and the Four Tops: A seven-decade legacy
Fakir’s family said of the singer in a media statement, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who touched the lives of so many through his 70-year music career, as he continues to tour until the end of 2023 and officially retires this year.” The statement further added, “As the last surviving 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.”
The group’s four members, Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton, came together in the 1950s but did not find success until the early 1960s. The quartet continued to play together until Payton’s death in 1997, and Benson and Stubbs died in 2005 and 2008, respectively.
The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir: Personal Life
Fakir was born in 1935 to Bangladeshi factory worker Nazim Ali Fakir and Ruby Akridge, the daughter of a Georgia minister. The singer grew up in a tense neighborhood where rival black and white gangs waged war constantly. Fakir’s earliest dream was to be an athlete. He played football in high school before meeting Stubbs and the rest of his group.
Fakir married twice in his life. He is survived by his wife Piper Gibson, their six children, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
In 2022, the singer released a memoir, I’ll Be There: My Life with the Four Tops.
