FAKIR PAYS TRIBUTE TO SOUL MAN STUBBS
FOUR TOPS leader ABDUL ‘DUKE’ FAKIR has paid tribute to late bandmate LEVI STUBBS, calling the late soul man "one of the best singers in the world, period, of all time." Fakir reveals he and the band were performing in Nevada when they heard Stubbs had died after a long battle with cancer and ill health in Detroit, Michigan on Friday (17Oct08).
Calling his former bandmate and godfather to his eldest son "a great man", the Reach Out I’ll Be There singer says he’s suffering "a big hurt".
Fakir, the only surviving original member of the soul group, only wishes he could have been closer to Stubbs when the soul star died at his home.
He tells Billboard.com, "It (show in Nevada) was a fun engagement, but I didn’t really want to be there. I was hurting the whole time. I really wanted to just come back home, but we do not disappoint the fans. That was one of the hard weekends for me.
"I saw him about a week ago and he looked healthier. His face was fatter and he was smiling and he was in good spirits. I really thought he’d pull through longer than he did." Paying tribute to his late pal’s singing skills, Fakir says, "He had such power. He had a baritone voice and a tenor range. He could do anything with his voice. He could take you anywhere with it. He could take you to a love scene.
He could take you dancing. He could take a great old standard and make you feel like you’re right there in that song. Just an amazing voice, an amazing interpreter, an amazing man."
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
Related News:
