Abdul "Duke" Fakir, the last surviving original member of Motown legends the Four Tops, has died. He was 88.
The singer passed away from heart failure at his home this morning, his family told local publication, the Detroit Free Press.
"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," the Fakir family said 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."
A lifelong Detroit resident, Fakir first met fellow band member Levi Stubbs at neighbourhood football games while attending Pershing High School. Friends insisted that the two burgeoning singers perform alongside Northern High students Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton at a local birthday party.
The foursome founded a group — then called the Four Aims — in 1953 and remained together for over forty years, not even undergoing a personnel change until 1998. (Payton died of liver failure in 1997, and then, after originally continuing on as a trio, Fakir, Stubbs and Benson brought former Temptations member Theo Peoples into the fold.)
The Four Tops produced some definitive '60s hits, including the Top 10-charting "Reach Out I'll Be There," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," "Bernadette," "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "It's the Same Old Song," written by Motown's main songwriting and production team at the time, Holland–Dozier–Holland. The quartet have been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the R&B Music Hall of Fame.
As his family's statement mentioned, Fakir had just retired from performing with the still-touring Four Tops — whose legacy is now being carried on by Michael Brock, Ronnie McNeir, Lawrence Payton Jr. and Alexander Morris — earlier this month.