R.I.P. Amp Fiddler

Detroit soul artist and former member of Parliament and Funkadelic Amp Fiddler has died. He was 65.

Faith Fanzine confirmed the news via Twitter. His cause of death hasn’t been disclosed, but last year he established a crowdfunding campaign to “support his continued healing as he journeys back to the stage” after an undisclosed illness.

Amp Fiddler was born Joseph Anthony Fiddler in 1958 in Detroit, and he was a member of the soul group Enchantment in the late ’70s and early ’80s, before joining George Clinton’s parallel groups Parliament and Funkadelic and remaining a member into the ’90s. He’s also worked with a long list of artists, including Prince, Warren Zevon, Primal Scream, Seal, Maxwell, Moodymann, Theo Parrish and more.

Between 1990 and 2017 he released four solo albums, as well as collaborations with Sly and Robbie and Will Sessions. His last release was “Come on Over,” a collaboration with Luke Solomon. He founded the music production school Camp Amp in the ’80s, and tutored the likes of J Dilla, Waajeed and Andrés.