He was still on stage with the Four Tops until 2023. Now the US singer Duke Fakir has died. He was the last of the four singers of the founding quartet. The band lives on.
He was the last surviving founding member of the soul band Four Tops: Abdul Fakir, known as Duke Fakir, 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 were no longer alive: Lawrence Payton (died 1997), Renaldo Benson (died 2005) and Levi Stubbs (died 2008). But the band lives on: the group currently consists of the four following singers: Michael Brock, Alexander Morris, Ronnie McNeir and Roquel “Rokie” Payton.
Photographer Bruce W. Talamon
James Brown in ecstasy: This illustrated book celebrates the soul and funk music of the 70s
Duke Fakir will continue to tour until 2023
“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,” Fakir’s family members wrote in a statement. “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.”
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.”
The Four Tops were still in the charts in the 80s
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
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
