Abdul” Duke” Information, the last surviving founding member of the Motown voice class the Four Tops, has died. He was 88.
Fakir passed away from heart failure on Monday, according to a family member in a speech.
” Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a leader, image and audio star who, through his 70-year music job, touched the lives of so many as he continued to tour until the end of 2023, and officially retired this time”, Fakir’s family said in a statement. We find comfort in knowing that Duke’s legacy will live on through his song for generations to come as the group’s previous living founding members.
Fakir was one of the expertly crafted voices that contributed to the likeable Motown tunes” Baby I Need Your Loving,”” I Can’t Help Myself ( Sugar Pie Honey Bunch )” and” Reach Out I’ll Be There.” In their peak times between 1964-1967, the Four Tops had two No. 1 songs and 11 Major 20 knocks on the Billboard singles charts.
Label founder Berry Gordy, who praised Fakir, said in a statement that” I am deeply saddened by the passing of Abdul ‘ Duke’ Fakir… [the ] first tenor — smooth, suave, and always sharp. … For 70 years, he kept the Four Tops ‘ impressive legacy alive, and in all those ages, he not missed a performance, until only recently. I am so grateful for everything he did for Motown, the Four Tops, and for me.
Gordy noted that the initial Four Tops — Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton and Renaldo” Obie” Benson — “always amazed me with their flair, group and elegance”.
Fakir, born in 1935 in Detroit, was the brother of a stock employee from what’s then Bangladesh and a Black mother who was a musician and a leader’s child. As a teen surrounded by gospel and jazz music, he co-founded the Four Tops in 1953 with Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton and Renaldo” Obie” Benson. The group, which was originally known as the Four Aims, quickly attracted attention on the neighborhood club scene and signed to Chess Records in 1956. It did n’t start to gain popularity 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.
The group continued to operate in Detroit after Motown left for Los Angeles in the 1970s, resulting in hit singles like” Ain’t No Woman ( Like the One I’ve Got )” and” When She Was My Girl” in 1980. 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.
Even with Fakir serving as the only original member along with Ronnie McNeir, Lawrence Payton Jr., and Alex Morris, The Four Tops continued to perform well on tour. 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.
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 you guys were here, according to fellow Motown icon Smokey Robinson in his own statement about Fakir. 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 ).
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