Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving original member of the Four Tops, the beloved Motown group, died Monday at his home in
Detroit. He was 88 years old.
According to a family spokesperson, Fakir died of heart failure with his family and friends by his side. The family announced his death Monday afternoon, saying, “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”.
Fakir, who co-founded Four Tops in 1953, had been struggling with bladder cancer and had retired from touring late last year. An associate told Billboard that on Sunday he was “happy, talking and interacting, and when they turned to do something and turned back around, he had slipped away”.
The Four Tops were among Motown’s most popular and enduring acts, peaking in the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1967, they had 11 Top 20 hits and two No 1s: I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) and the operatic classic Reach Out I’ll Be There. Other songs, often sagas of romantic pain and bereavement, included Baby I Need Your Loving, Standing in the Shadows of Love, Bernadette and Ask the Lonely.
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