He was still on stage with the Four Tops until 2023. Now the US singer Duke Fakir has died.
The US soul band The Four Tops is mourning the loss of one of its singers: Abdul Fakir, known as Duke Fakir (1935-2024), died on July 22 at the age of 88. The musician’s family confirmed this in a statement. According to the statement, the singer died of heart failure in his house in Detroit on Monday morning.
Duke Fakir was the last surviving founding member of the Four Tops. His childhood friends and bandmates Lawrence Payton (died 1997), Renaldo Benson (1936-2005) and Levi Stubbs (1936-2008) had already died before him. The group currently consists of the four following singers: Michael Brock, Alexander Morris, Ronnie McNeir and Roquel “Rokie” Payton.
Duke Fakir will continue to tour until 2023
Fakir’s family members wrote in their statement: “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who touched the lives of so many during his 70-year music career while touring through the end of 2023 and officially retiring this year. As the last living founding member of the legendary music group the Four Tops, we find comfort in knowing that Duke’s legacy lives on through his music for generations to come.”
The Four Tops’ greatest successes
With the Four Tops, Duke Fakir has appeared on a long list of hits over the decades, including some of the defining songs of the 1960s, such as “I Can’t Help Myself,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Bernadette,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” and the group’s masterpiece, “Reach Out I’ll Be There.”
They also made it into the charts in the 1980s, with hits such as “When She Was My Girl”. After the death of his bandmates who co-founded the group, Fakir kept the name of the Four Tops alive, recruited new members and toured regularly with them.
Duke Fakir was married twice. He lived with his second wife in Detroit. He leaves behind four children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Source: Stern
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