Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, legendary Four Tops singer, dead at 88
After providing the soundtrack to the early days of soul with The Four Tops, vocalist Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir has passed away at the age of 88.
Fakir passed away on July 22nd, 2024, surrounded by his wife and his loved ones. A spokesperson for the family had said that he passed away from heart failure in his home.
For decades, Fakir was known as one of the main singers in the Four Tops, best known for tracks like ‘Sugar Pie Honey Bunch’ and ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’. After working as one of the leading figures in soul in the early 1960s on Chess Records, the group would eventually go on to greater success when they became one of the first signings to Motown Records, who urged them to change their name to ‘The Four Tops’ rather than ‘The Four Aims’.
Their success also sparked a friendly rivalry with the other major vocal act at Motown, The Temptations. Their influence on the genre led to their induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at one of its earliest ceremonies in 1990.
Despite not changing its lineup once since its inception, the group ended in the late 1990s after the tragic passing of singer Lawrence Payton. With Obie Benson passing away in 2005 and lead vocalist Levi Stubbs in 2008, Fakir was the last of the original lineup to pass on.
In the years since Fakir had relaunched a new version of the group with a completely new lineup of vocalists.
When talking about his most recent tour, Fakir talked about his connection to his singing partners when performing live with the new lineup, saying, “I found myself in a quandary as to what I was going to do from that moment on, but after a while I realized that the name together with the legacy that they had left us simply had to carry on, and judging by the audience reaction it soon became pretty evident that I did the right thing.”
Of course, the appeal of the Four Tops wasn’t limited to just soul music. Outside of major endorsements from artists like Smokey Robinson of the Miracles and Stevie Wonder, The Beatles were avid fans of The Four Tops. In the Peter Jackson documentary Get Back, George Harrison can be seen halfway through a rehearsal urging the group to put the chorus of ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ into one of their new songs.
The music of his group and the legendary status of Fakir will live on.
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