Last surviving original member of Four Tops Duke Fakir dies at 88

Duke Fakir, the last surviving original member of the legendary Motown group The Four Tops, has died at the age of 88.

Family friends confirmed Fakir passing to 7 News Detroit. No cause of death was given.

The Four Tops are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1990, and are listed among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their four-part harmony made hit record-making appear easy. Fakir grew up within walking distance of Motown. The group was signed to Motown in 1964, consisting of Fakir, Obie Benson, Lawrence Payton, and Levi Stubbs.

Benson died in 2005, Payton died in 1997, and Stubbs died in 2008.

The Tops also played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In December 2021, Fakir sat down to talk with 7 News Detroit anchor Carolyn Clifford about a book a Broadway musical he was working on, based on the Four Tops.