Amp Fiddler—P-Funk Member & J Dilla Mentor

Amp Fiddler, a beloved member of Parliament-Funkadelic and mentor to J Dilla, reportedly died on Sunday (December 17). He was 65. According to a GoFundMe erected in his name last year, Fiddler had been battling an undisclosed illness. The description reads in part, “After many months in the hospital, and now at home recuperating from surgery in August, Amp needs our resources to support his continued healing as he journeys back to the stage.”

Fiddler’s family made the announcement via Instagram, writing, “We face the insurmountable responsibility of sharing the passing of Joseph “Amp” Fiddler. Our beloved “Amp” Fiddler, Detroit’s own world renowned ambassador of funk, soul, & electronic music, keyboardist, producer, Afro-futurist, and guiding force of light for so many, has transitioned at the age of 65. After an extensive and noble battle with cancer, he now gracefully rests in peace and power.

“It would be impossible to encapsulate the gravity of his energy, global impact & contributions. His life’s work, legacy, & most importantly…his LOVE…will far exceed his earthly presence. How blessed are we, to have experienced Amp Fiddler in this lifetime.”

They’re also asking for donations to help with funeral costs. The caption continued, “There was no preparation for the high costs of a funeral, and during this difficult time, we are humbly reaching out to the community for help. Please consider donating if you can, as any amount will truly help. We need to raise $9,000.00 in order to cover the cost of Amp’s memorial service and send him home with the grace and honor he truly deserves.”

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Fiddler was a Detroit native and began his music career in the 1970s as a member of the soul/R&B group Enchantment, which eventually led to a gig with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. He played with the iconic group for more than 10 years and juggled multiple instruments, primarily the keyboards.

Over the course of his career, Fiddler also worked with Jamiroquai, Prince, Was (Not Was), the Brand New Heavies, Fishbone, Corinne Bailey Rae and Maxwell. He’s credited with introducing J Dilla to the AKAI MPC sampling drum machine and to A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, who then introduced Dilla to the world.

“The first beat he played for me he looped the whole track from cassette player to cassette player,” Fiddler remembered in 2006. “There were a few drops, but for the most part it was pretty damn precise. So I told him he needs to go home and separate all the samples to load into the MPC, and he came back with all the samples separated and mapped out exactly how he wanted it. As time went on, he got better and better. He used to come by the crib to get on the MPC and he would work on it for three or four hours at a time. He used to have a big smile on his face, because he was so excited after finishing a beat.”

Fiddler released numerous solo albums beginning in 1990—from 2004’s Waltz of a Ghetto Fly to his latest, 2018’s The One with Will Sessions.

Amp Fiddler is currently a trending Twitter (X) topic, with scores of Hip-Hop artists coming forward to pay their respects. Questlove wrote, “Rest easy brother Amp. For all those talks during the Pfunk tour. For all the music. Especially of course mentoring the one who mentored us (Dilla)——thank you brother.”