Four Tops’ Duke Fakir, the group’s last surviving founding member, dies at 88

Duke Fakir, the last surviving founding member of rock n’ roll / soul / R&B / pop icons The Four Tops, died Monday at his home in Detroit of heart failure. He was 88.

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who, through his 70-year music career, touched the lives of so many as he continued to tour until the end of 2023, and officially retired this year,” the Fakir family said in a statement. “As the last living founding member of the iconic Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”

One of the most successful vocal groups of the ’50s and ’60s, The Four Tops formed in 1953 in Detroit with Duke alongside Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Lawrence Payton. The Four Tops released early singles from Chess and Columbia before signing with Motown, which began their incredible run of hits. Those include “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “If I Were a Carpenter,” “Still Water (Love)” and more. As his family’s statement read, Duke was the keeper of The Four Tops’ flame and continued to perform through 2023.

Payton died in 1997, Benson died in 2005 and Stubbs died in 2008. Rest in peace, Duke. Hopefully you’re all singing together again somewhere.

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