Duke Fakir Dead: Last Surviving Member of Four Tops Passes Away Days After Quitting Touring
The Four Tops singer Duke Fakir has died.
July 22 2024, Published 4:42 p.m. ET
The Four Tops singer Abdul “Duke” Fakir has died just days after officially announcing his retirement.
The stylish tenor, who was the last surviving original member of the beloved Motown group, passed away at his Detroit home from heart failure on Monday morning, RadarOnline.com can reveal. He was 88.
In a statement, his family said: “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.
“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.”
The Motown icon passed away at his Detroit home from heart failure on Monday morning, his family confirmed
As part of the Four Tops, Fakir sang on classic Motown hits like Reach Out, I'll Be There, I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Standing in the Shadows of Love, It's the Same Old Song, and Bernadette.
He formed the quartet in 1953 alongside baritone lead singer Levi Stubbs and their high school friends Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton. One of the defining acts of the Motown era, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Peyton died of liver cancer in 1997, Benson died of lung cancer in 2005, and Stubbs died in 2008 following a series of illnesses, leaving the group's legacy in Fakir's hands.
Fakir continued touring and performing live up through 2023, recruiting new vocalists to accompany him, until he announced his retirement just days before his death.
Fakir is survived by his wife, sons, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren.
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Smokey Robinson, a fellow Motown alum and a longtime friend of Fakir's, told the Detroit Free Press: “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. I'm gonna miss you, my brother.”
Martha and the Vandellas' Martha Reeves said: “All four of the Tops were fine, handsome men and sang with champion voices. Duke had one of the sweetest tenor voices you could hear. You could distinguish him in the harmony, that operatic voice in the background. The Four Tops were the gentlemen of the groups at Motown – and they were the A singers of the Motown team.”
Motown founder Berry Gordy added: “Duke was first tenor – smooth, suave, and always sharp. For 70 years, he kept the Four Tops’ remarkable legacy intact, and in all those years, he never missed a performance, until just recently. I so appreciate all he did for the Four Tops, for Motown and for me. Duke will be greatly missed, and will always be a significant part of the Motown legacy.”
Fakir is survived by his wife Piper Fakir, daughter Farah Fakir Cook, sons Nazim Bashir Fakir, Abdul Kareem Fakir Jr., Myke Fakir, Anthony Fakir, and Malik Robinson, 13 grandchildren, and nine greatgrandchildren.
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