The Four Tops (Mister Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Leonard “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton) formed at a high school party in 1954 and have been together for over 40 years. according to To the Motown Museum, originally (and briefly) called “Four Aims.”
They signed with the Motown record label in 1963 and released some of their biggest hits, including “Baby I Need Your Loving” in 1964, “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” in 1965, “Reach Out I’ll Be There” in 1966, and “Bernadette” in 1967.
Payton died in 1997, Benson in 2005 and Stubbs in 2008. Other members joined in the group in subsequent years. Fakir formally retired this year, his family said.
Fakir was born in Detroit on Dec. 26, 1935. The museum said Monday that he was “always well-dressed and had a keen sense of humor” and made significant contributions to the Motown legacy. He was married to Piper Gibson and had seven children, six of whom are alive.
Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a statement that Mr. Fakir was a “first tenor — smooth, elegant and always incisive.”
“For 70 years he carried on the great tradition of the Four Tops and, until very recently, never missed a show during that time,” he said. “I am so grateful for all he did for the Four Tops, Motown and me.”
In 1990 the group Joined The induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was marked by a speech from collaborator Stevie Wonder: “They were very professional, they enjoyed what they did, they were very loving and always gentlemen,” he said, before joking that “they all let me drive their cars at various times.” Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grammy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
in Opinion articles In a 2017 Washington Post op-ed about fairness in copyright law, Fakir wrote that he was a “lucky guy.”
“I’ve been blessed to travel the world making music with some of my dearest friends and have seen our records soar to the top of the charts,” he said. “It’s a privilege I can never take for granted and I’m proud that our music has stood the test of time.”
This story will be updated.
