Final surviving member of Four Tops, Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, has died aged 88

The final surviving member of the Four Tops – Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir – has died aged 88.

He passed away at his home in Detroit, Michigan, according to the Detroit Free Press, with heart failure reportedly the cause of death.

His family said in a statement about how his death came just after he had retired from touring: “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.”

Duke was behind Motown icons the Four Tops’ greatest smashes, including the Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)’.

It spent two non-consecutive weeks in the top spot in 1965 – along with the group’s 1966 hit ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’.

Duke’s passing comes after the deaths of his three former bandmates – Lawrence Payton, Obie Benson and Levi Stubbs.

Born Abdul Kareem Fakir, Duke sang the first tenor line in the Four Tops.

Levi – who died aged 72 in 2008 – handled the majority of the band’s lead vocals, but Duke’s singing was critical in the group’s harmonising.

He was also a skilled diplomat, and considered the “glue” of the band.

Duke said in his 2022 memoir ‘I’ll Be There: My Life With the Four Tops’: “We were four totally different guys. But we had a love for the same thing, and that’s basically the whole story.

“Four guys from Detroit who came together because of our love of music, love of entertaining, and love of each other.”

He added in the book: “The Lord can retire me, but I’m not going to into the dark night quietly. I know I’m not in the fourth quarter anymore. I’m in overtime.”

Fakir was married twice – for the last 50 years to Piper Gibson, and had seven children.

He’s survived by six of his kids, and had seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

In the mid-1960s, he was briefly engaged to Mary Wilson from the Supremes and lived in the Palmer Park section of Detroit with his second wife.

- Bang! Showbiz and republished here with permission.