Fakir was one of the tightly harmonized voices behind such indelible Motown hits like 'Baby I Need Your Loving' and 'Reach Out I’ll Be There.'
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving founding member of the Motown vocal group the Four Tops, has died. He was 88. A representative for the family said in a statement that Fakir died of heart failure on Monday. '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,' Fakir's family said in a statement.
As a teen surrounded by gospel and jazz music, he co-founded the Four Tops in 1953 with Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton and Renaldo 'Obie' Benson. The group — originally named the Four Aims — quickly drew attention on the local club circuit and signed to Chess Records in 1956 but didn't break out nationally until signing to Motown in 1962. There they began a remarkable run of era-defining hits with the writing-producing trio Holland-Dozier-Holland.
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