A family spokesperson confirmed the singers death tothe Associated Press, citing the cause as heart failure.
Fakir continued to tour with the group until medical issues sidelined him late last year.
I know Im not in the fourth quarter anymore.
The Four Tops, L-R: Levi Stubbs, Renaldo Obie Benson, Lawrence Payton and Abdul “Duke” Fakir pose backstage at the Apollo Theater in New York City, New York.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
He also helped keep peace in the band when relations frayed.
We were four totally different guys, he wrote in his memoir.
But we had a love for the same thing, and thats basically the whole story.
I heard, Get the hell outta here [N-word], he told theNew York Postin 2022.
Terrified, I froze.
A gun against my skull.
I didnt know what to do.
A little white lady whispered: Move down the street .
So frightened I near peed on myself.
That cold steel against your head, your whole body goes into shock.
They met in Detroit, and instilled a love of music in Fakir from a young age.
Duke will be greatly missed, and will always be a significant part of the Motown legacy.
He had that kind of loyalty, Fakir wrote in his book.
Our group came to realize it was one of the things that folks loved about us.
We were a group who stayed together.
They were also very tight with their labelmates.
Wed have dinner at each others houses, play golf with Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye or play cards…
It was like a big family.
In the years that followed, most of their energy moved to touring on the lucrative oldies circuit.
But in 1998, they recruited former Temptations singer Theo Peoples to fill out the lineup.
He toured until his health made it impossible, shortly after the launch of their 70th anniversary tour.
It was a landmark few acts in history have ever reached with an original member still standing.
People ask me if I ever get tired singing our hit records, Fakir wrote in his book.
I say, Fuck naw.
Every nights a different audience, every night its a different love, a different respect.
