Friends, family and a 'grateful city' bid farewell to the Four Tops' Duke Fakir

There was a clear, unmistakable theme Friday at the funeral of the late Four Tops singer Duke Fakir: Behind the bright stage lights and litany of hit songs, he was a beloved family man and faithful friend whose real music was harmony with God. 

The lifelong Detroiter, who died July 22 at age 88, was celebrated during a four-hour service at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church on the city’s west side — a homegoing ceremony filled with musical tributes, statements from U.S. presidents, and guests including fellow Motown stars Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves and Claudette Robinson. 

Late in the ceremony, Wonder stepped to the altar for a memorable 20 minutes, saying he was on hand to “celebrate a great life, a great friend, a man who was part of how and why I’m here today.” 

Wonder, performing with his stringed harpejji instrument, vamped on an unfinished song he and Fakir had begun to write on a tour bus decades ago. He whipped up a snippet of the 1966 Four Tops single he cowrote, “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever,” and led the audience in a clap-along to “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).” 

But it was Wonder’s performance alongside University of Michigan harpist Maurice Draughn that truly elevated the occasion, with a lovely rendition of his own 1976 classic “If It’s Magic” followed by “The Lord’s Prayer,” which brought the congregation to its feet. 

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“I love Duke. I love the Four Tops,” said Wonder. “And that love doesn’t go away.” 

The day also included written tributes from President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, read aloud by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. 

Obama praised Fakir, the last of the original Four Tops, as "a trailblazer who helped to shape our nation’s soul,” while Clinton — recalling the two times he joined the Tops onstage to play saxophone — thanked him for “a lifetime of musical memories.” 

Biden’s statement called Fakir “an American original” while directly addressing the singer’s widow, Piper Fakir: “Jill and I are holding you close to our hearts,” it read. 

Earlier, as the people closest to Fakir filed in for a family hour preceding the funeral, Four Tops songs filled the church: “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got),” “Bernadette,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “Baby I Need Your Loving.” 

It’s that music, funeral speakers would go on to say, that ensures Fakir’s voice and legacy will endure well beyond his 88 years on Earth.  

“It lives because that’s what this kind of greatness is about,” said Detroit Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison, who noted he was speaking on behalf of Mayor Mike Duggan. 

“You have a grateful city and we give our sincere condolences,” Bettison said. 

Before his casket was closed, Fakir lay at the foot of the altar resplendent in a gold suit and tinted glasses — a last glimpse of a fashion-savvy singer who was remembered Friday by one close family friend as “always GQ-ready.” 

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, of Georgia, emphasized Fakir’s work for artists’ rights, which included the singer’s series of advocacy trips to Capitol Hill.       

“He entertained us with that voice, but he also used that voice to speak truth to power on behalf of others,” said Johnson, who also announced the House has honored Fakir with a Congressional Award of Distinction.  

Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard drew sympathetic cheers when he lit into an off-kilter rendition of “Baby I Need Your Loving.” He called Fakir a loyal friend of 40 years. 

“During that time, Duke has been the best goodwill ambassador the Four Tops could have ever had,” Blanchard said. “He was also a fabulous representative of Motown worldwide.” 

A corridor at the church was lined with floral arrangements sent by Fakir’s friends and peers, including Motown founder Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson and Edward Franklin, a son of Aretha. A wreath from Otis Williams and the Temptations included a note: “You are now with Levi, Obie and Lawrence dancing for the Most High” — a reference to a heavenly Four Tops reunion and a recurring motif among Friday’s attendees. 

The funeral was a music-rich affair, including several rousing gospel selections from Detroit native Sherrie Nunn Berry, an elegant performance of the Winans’ “Ain’t No Need to Worry” by Marvin Winans and a stirring “Hallelujah” from Hartford Memorial’s James Moore. 

Congregants also heard Fakir in a lead singing role, via a recorded concert performance of “My Way,” which had become a live staple for the Tops in recent years. 

In a video tribute, former David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer had one of the funeral’s home run lines as he commemorated his longtime friend — a “kind, sweet, talented man” — with a twist on some famous Four Tops lyrics: 

“Duke, it’ll be the same wonderful old songs, but with a different meaning since you’ve been gone.” 

Fakir, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient with the Four Tops, was well acknowledged during the funeral for his seven decades of career success.  

But it was the man behind the scenes — the loving husband, dutiful churchgoer, avid golfer, generous giver to Detroit projects big and small — whose character prevailed Friday. 

The Rev. Jessica Kendall Ingram, former assistant pastor at Fakir’s home church of Oak Grove A.M.E., said she had expected an overwhelming celebrity persona in her first encounter with the Motown veteran. But “over the years, I found he was a really a humble person and had a service spirit,” she said. 

“He believed in loyalty, and it’s how the Four Tops stayed together even in the toughest times,” said Ingram. “He believed in work ethic, from the time he was a teenager to last September, when he had to (step away) after 70 years on the road.” 

Fakir’s loyalty to the Four Tops and their legacy was hammered home by current group member Lawrence Payton Jr. Following the loss of his three group mates in recent decades, said Payton, Fakir “found himself alone on the battlefield. He could have packed up his tent, surrendered and gone on home. Not this man.”   

Payton said that before his death, Fakir made arrangements to ensure all four of the original Four Tops’ families benefit from the group’s work as it moves forward.  

One of the singer’s sons, the Rev. Nazim Fakir, offered a scripture reading while describing his father as “my hero” — “a man who knew no strangers and shared love around the world.”  

A vigorous eulogy was delivered by Bishop Gregory G.M. Ingram, Fakir’s former pastor at Oak Grove. 

But it was a heartfelt speech by daughter Farah Cook Fakir that defined Friday’s funeral. Recounting the tight bond she and her siblings shared with the Motown personality they knew best as “Daddy,” she finished with a universal message. 

“Love is the greatest legacy we can leave behind,” she said. 

Fakir’s casket was carried to a white Cadillac LaSalle hearse — the same vintage vehicle that once transported his close friend Aretha Franklin — and he was laid to rest Friday afternoon at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.