Post by Motorcity on Oct 21, 2008 20:48:53 GMT -5
Stubbs looked healthy, Duke Fakir says; funeral set
By Brian McCollum
Despite Levi Stubbs' years of declining health, his death Friday came as a shock to fellow Four Tops founder Abdul (Duke) Fakir.
In some of his first public comments since Stubbs' death at home in Detroit, Fakir said he'd seen his former colleague just two weeks ago.
“He looked healthier than he had in a long time,” Fakir said Monday. “He was in good spirits. I told my wife, ‘Levi seems to be doing better.' ”
Choking back tears, Fakir paid tribute to a man “who always took great care of his family” and a singer who “could take any song and tear your heart apart with it.”
Felled by a series of strokes, Stubbs had not toured with the Tops since 2000. The group will carry on with Fakir,Theo Peoples, Ronnie McNeir and Roquel Payton.
The last surviving original member, Fakir said he's grappling with an acute sense of loss.
“With him leaving, it really seems like the end of something very special in my life,” he said.
Fakir returned to Detroit after Four Tops shows in Nevada, where he struggled to get through some of the songs.
“It was one of the first times ever I didn't feel like working,” he said from Stubbs' family home in Detroit.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 W. McNichols, Detroit. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Monday at Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile, Detroit. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Fakir has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
“People loved him all over the world,” he said.
By Brian McCollum
Despite Levi Stubbs' years of declining health, his death Friday came as a shock to fellow Four Tops founder Abdul (Duke) Fakir.
In some of his first public comments since Stubbs' death at home in Detroit, Fakir said he'd seen his former colleague just two weeks ago.
“He looked healthier than he had in a long time,” Fakir said Monday. “He was in good spirits. I told my wife, ‘Levi seems to be doing better.' ”
Choking back tears, Fakir paid tribute to a man “who always took great care of his family” and a singer who “could take any song and tear your heart apart with it.”
Felled by a series of strokes, Stubbs had not toured with the Tops since 2000. The group will carry on with Fakir,Theo Peoples, Ronnie McNeir and Roquel Payton.
The last surviving original member, Fakir said he's grappling with an acute sense of loss.
“With him leaving, it really seems like the end of something very special in my life,” he said.
Fakir returned to Detroit after Four Tops shows in Nevada, where he struggled to get through some of the songs.
“It was one of the first times ever I didn't feel like working,” he said from Stubbs' family home in Detroit.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 W. McNichols, Detroit. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Monday at Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile, Detroit. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Fakir has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
“People loved him all over the world,” he said.