Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, Last of the Original Four Tops, Dead at 88
by Best Classic Bands Staff
The Four Tops performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, who was the last surviving original member of Motown mainstays the Four Tops, died today (July 22, 2024) at his Detroit home. He was 88. The cause, said his family in a statement, was heart failure.
Fakir had announced his retirement from the group only days before his death.
Formed in 1953 in Detroit, the quartet is known for its string of hit singles for the Berry Gordy Jr.-owned Motown label, beginning in 1964 with “Baby, I Need Your Loving” and continuing with “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” (a #1 hit in 1965), “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There” (#1 in 1966), “Standing in the Shadows of Love” and “Bernadette.”
Although their success rate began to wane in the early ’70s, the Four Tops—also consisting of lead singer Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton—rebounded in late 1972-73 with two last top 10 hits, “Keeper of the Castle” and “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got).” Many of the group’s biggest hits were written by the in-house Motown team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
Other hits by the group included “Ask the Lonely,” “Something About You,” “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over),” “7 Rooms of Gloom” and a cover of the Left Banke’s “Walk Away Renee.”
The group retained its founding personnel until 1997, when Payton died. He was followed in death by Benson (in 2005) and Stubbs (in 2008).
Abdul Kareem Fakir, nicknamed Duke, was born in Detroit on Dec. 26, 1935. After befriending Stubbs, the pair teamed up with Benson and Payton. Calling themselves the Four Aims, with Fakir singing tenor, they first recorded at Chicago’s Chess Records in 1956, then decided on the name change to Four Tops. They also cut records for Columbia and Riverside before signing with Motown in 1962.
The Four Tops were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Watch the Four Tops sing “Reach Out I’ll Be There” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966
The group’s recordings are available in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
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1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationThe 60s Tops were great, but I really enjoyed the Potter/Lambert songs of the 70s. They gave the Tops a smoother soul sound.