Abdul “Duke” Fakir, The Normal Four Tops’ Closing Living Member, Dreary At 88
The celebrated crooner died in his Detroit residence surrounded by his cherished ones.
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Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the closing residing well-liked member of The Four Tops, has died at age 88.
He died on Monday (July 22) of coronary heart failure in his Detroit residence surrounded by his wife of 50 years, Piper Gibson, and additional cherished ones.
“We’re deeply saddened to convey the passing of our loving husband of 50 years, cherished father, grandfather, gargantuan-grandfather, friend and with no ruin in sight Four Tops, Abdul Kareem Fakir, higher is named Duke,” Fakir’s family mentioned in a statement per Rolling Stone. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and song story who, thru his 70-365 days song profession, touched the lives of so many as he persisted to tour till the terminate of 2023, and officially retired this 365 days. Because the closing residing founding member of the iconic Four Tops song community, we receive solace in Duke’s legacy residing on thru his song for generations to come serve.”
(L-R): Levi Stubbs, Renaldo ‘Obie’ Benson, Lawrence Payton, Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, circa 1986
Ebet Roberts/Redferns
The Four Tops — originally named The Four Objectives, but changed it to preserve away from confusion with the Ames Brothers — like been created by Fakir along with Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton whereas they like been attending Detroit’s Pershing Excessive College in 1953. The quartet, most effective known for hits esteem “I Can’t Attend Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bun),” “Miniature one I Need Your Loving,” and “Ain’t No Girl (Love The One I’ve Got),” remained in tact till Payton died of liver most cancers in 1997.
Benson died of lung most cancers in 2005. Stubbs, the quartet’s lead singer, fought a battle with most cancers in 1995, suffered a stroke in 2000, and died in his sleep in 2008. Fakir then recruited a recent spherical of vocalists — lead vocalist Alexander Morris, Ronnie McNeir, and Lawrence “Roquel” Payton Jr., son of Lawrence Payton — to preserve the Four Tops’ title alive.
The Four Tops, circa 1972, with Aretha Franklin (center)
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
In 2020, Fakir told UK Tune Studies, “As every particular person in all [the original members] passed a little bit of me left with them. When Levi left us, I discovered myself in a predicament as to what I was going to attain from that second on but after a whereas I seen that the title along with the legacy that they’d left us simply needed to preserve on, and judging by the target market reaction, it soon change into reasonably evident that I did the correct thing and I in actuality attain in actuality feel true about that.”
Two years later in his 2022 memoir, I’ll Be There: My Lifestyles With The Four Tops, he declared, “I’m not going to ever retire. The Lord can retire me, but I’m not going to into the dusky night time quietly. I do know I’m not within the fourth quarter anymore. I’m in time previous legislation.”
Ahead of his loss of life, he used to be working on a Broadway musical about the cherished quartet — who used to be inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Popularity in 1990, the Grammy Hall of Popularity in 1998, and earned their Grammy Lifetime Success Award in 2009.
Fakir is survived by Gibson and six of his seven youngsters.
VIBE sends our deepest condolences to the Fakir family and all these tormented by this loss.