Abdul “Duke” Fakir: Last surviving member of The Four Tops dies

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last living member of the popular Motown group The Four Tops, has died at the age of 88.

He died of heart failure at his home in Detroit, his family confirmed Monday.

The Four Tops became one of the most famous bands of the Motown era after their formation in the late 1950s.

The group is known for classic hits such as “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).”

“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 continuing to tour through the end of 2023 and officially retiring this year,” his family said in a statement.

“As the last living founding member of the legendary musical group The Four Tops, we take comfort in knowing that Duke’s legacy lives on through his music for generations to come.”

The four members of the group, Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton, formed in the late 1950s but did not become successful until the early 1960s.

They continued to play together as a group until Payton died in 1997. Benson and Stubbs died in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

When they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, artist Stevie Wonder praised their talent.

“What I love most about them is that they are very professional, they enjoy their work, they are very loving and they have always been gentlemen,” he said.

Fakir, the child of Ethiopian and Bangladeshi immigrants, lived in Detroit his entire life and grew up in a dangerous neighborhood, according to the Associated Press.

“When we started singing, our whole perspective on life changed,” Fakir said in a 2022 interview with The Detroit News.

“We just started to see the beauty of life and traveling and singing to the world and making people happy.”

In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, singer Smokey Robinson spoke about the death of his long-time friend.

“My brother, I am truly sorry to say goodbye, but the Father has called you home to rejoin Lawrence, Obie and Levi and make more of the heavenly music you have been making here,” Robinson said.

“I will miss you, my brother.”

In 2022, Fakir published his memoir, I’ll Be There: My Life With the Four Tops.

He leaves behind his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.