"we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music"
Duke Fakir, the last surviving original member of the iconic Motown group Four Tops, has died aged 88.
He passed away at his home in Detroit, Michigan, reportedly from heart failure.
Fakir’s death came just two days after retiring and follows the death of his three former bandmates – Lawrence Payton, Obie Benson and Levi Stubbs.
His family said in a statement: “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.”
Born Abdul Kareem Fakir, he sang the first tenor line in the Four Tops.
Although tenors are traditionally lead vocalists in similar groups, Duke Fakir joined Payton and Benson in singing backup to baritone Levi Stubbs on lead vocals.
As the other members died or left the group, Fakir continued performing as the Four Tops with new replacement singers over the years.
The group formed in 1953 when Fakir and Stubbs performed with Benson and Payton at a birthday party.
The success of the gig led the quartet to decide to stick together, first as the Four Aims, then later as the Four Tops when they signed with Chess Records in 1956.
The group shuffled between labels without much success and it was not until signing with Motown in 1963 that they began to notch hits on the R&B and pop charts.
From 1964 to 1967, the Four Tops scored 11 Top 20 hits and two chart-topping singles.
Some of Four Tops’ biggest hits included ‘I Can’t Help (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)’ and ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’.
Many of the hits were written by the songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, which was comprised of composers Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, with Eddie Holland writing lyrics and all three producing.
In his twilight years, Duke Fakir continued to live in Detroit and he was one of the last remaining Motown giants.
Original member Payton died in 1997 from liver cancer. Benson died in 2005 from lung cancer and Stubbs passed away in 2008.
Duke Fakir is survived by his wife Piper, his daughter Farah Fakir Cook and his sons Nazim Bashir Fakir, Anthony Fakir, Abdul Kareem Fakir Jr, Myke Fakir and Malik Robinson.
He also had 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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