Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, last surviving original member of the Four Tops, dies at 88

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving founding member of the Motown vocal group the Four Tops, has died. He was 88.

A representative for the family said in a statement that Fakir died of heart failure on Monday.

“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,” Fakir’s 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.”

Fakir was one of the tightly harmonized voices behind such indelible Motown hits like “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” In their peak years between 1964 and 1967, the Four Tops had two No. 1 singles and 11 Top 20 hits on the Billboard singles charts.

Motown peers who paid tribute to Fakir include label founder Berry Gordy, who said in a statement, “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir ... [the] 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.”

Gordy noted that the original Four Tops — Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton and Renaldo “Obie” Benson — “always amazed me with their showmanship, class and artistry.”

The Four Tops, front seat, from left: Levi Stubbs and Lawrence Payton; back seat, from left: Abdul “Duke” Fakir and Renaldo “Obie” Benson.

(Motown Archives)

Fakir, born in 1935 in Detroit, was the son of a factory worker father from what’s now Bangladesh and a Black mother who was a musician and a minister’s daughter. As a teen surrounded by gospel and jazz music, he co-founded the Four Tops in 1953 with Stubbs, Payton and Benson. The group — originally named the Four Aims — quickly drew attention on the local club circuit and signed to Chess Records in 1956, but they didn’t break out nationally until signing to Motown in 1962.

There they began a remarkable run of era-defining hits with the writing-producing trio Holland-Dozier-Holland. Hits like “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love” and “Bernadette” all hit the Top 10 of the pop and R&B charts. The Four Tops’ singles remain some of Motown’s most beloved and iconic tracks.

After Motown left for Los Angeles in the ‘70s, the group stayed in Detroit and switched labels several times, yielding hit singles “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got)” and 1980’s “When She Was My Girl.” Their last Top 40 hit as a group, “Indestructible,” became the theme of the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1990, after 24 Top 40 pop singles, the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Four Tops remained a success on tour, even with Fakir as the sole original member alongside Lawrence Payton Jr. (son of original member Lawrence Payton), Ronnie McNeir and Alex Morris. In 2022, Fakir released his memoir “I’ll Be There,” about his colorful life at Motown’s peak, and only retired from the group in 2024.

Fellow Motown icon Smokey Robinson said, in his own statement about Fakir, that: “My brother I really hate to have to say goodbye, but you’ve been called home by The Father to once again join Lawrence, Obey, and Levi and make more of the heavenly music you guys made while here. I’m gonna miss you my brother. Have the most wonderful eternity.”

Fakir is survived by his wife, Piper Fakir; daughter Farah Fakir Cook; son Nazim Bashir Fakir; son Anthony Fakir; son Abdul Kareem Fakir Jr.; son Myke Fakir; son Malik Robinson, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren (daughter Kai Ayne is deceased).