The charismatic keyboardist and founding member of Parliament/ Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell, died yesterday at the age of 72 after losing his battle with stage four lung cancer.
The ‘Wizard of Woo’, along with George Clinton, managed to revolutionize R&B music, by introducing the original Moog synthesizer and Minimoog, making the P-Funk sound unique and pioneering. Worrell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
During the 1980s, he also worked with Talking Heads, although he never became an official member of the band. Well-known for his contributions to various genres and supergroups, like Bill Laswell’s Material and Praxis, Worrell never ceased to be creative till his last breath. His solo discography is also worth mentioning.
“AT 11:54, June 24, 2016, Bernie transitioned Home to The Great Spirit. Rest in peace, my love — you definitely made the world a better place. Till we meet again, vaya con Dios.” This was a Facebook post by his wife Judie, Friday afternoon.
Long live Bernie…
Christos Doukakis