- The vocal quartet’s hits include I Can’t Help Myself and Reach Out I’ll Be There.
- Fakir sang tenor, accompanying lead baritone Levi Stubbs.
- He and the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
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Duke Fakir, the last surviving original member of Motown icons the Four Tops, has died at the age of 88.
Fakir died at his home in Detroit, Michigan, on Monday morning, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The singer reportedly died of heart failure.
Fakir was part of the group’s biggest hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 toppers I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), which spent two nonconsecutive weeks at the top in 1965, and the 1966 hit Reach Out I’ll Be There, which also spent two weeks at the top.
His death follows that of his three former bandmates: Lawrence Payton, Obie Benson and Levi Stubbs.
Duke Fakir, the last surviving original member of Motown icons the Four Tops, has died at the age of 88; pictured in February 2023 in Los Angeles.
The singer (pictured second right, circa 1965) reportedly died of heart failure, following the deaths of his three former bandmates: Obie Benson (left), Levi Stubbs (second left) and Lawrence Payton (right).
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a pioneer, icon and music legend who, throughout his 70-year music career, touched the lives of many people while continuing to tour through the end of 2023 and officially retiring this year,” his family said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press. “As the last living founding member of the iconic musical group the Four Tops, we find solace in Duke’s legacy that lives on through his music for generations to come.”
Fakir (born Abdul Kareem Fakir) sang the first tenor line in Four Tops.
Although tenors are traditionally lead vocalists in similar groups, Fakir joined Payton and Benson to sing backup to baritone Levi Stubbs on lead vocals.
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