Amp Fiddler — an influential Detroit musician and producer who has worked with many artists in the Motor City and beyond — died Sunday, according to those close to him. He was 65.
Born Joseph Anthony Fiddler, the artist had been recovering from a surgery in recent months. In Detroit, numerous fundraiser events have been organized to help the performer pay off medical bills, and a GoFundMe campaign launched last year raised more than $75,000 “to support his continued healing as he journeys back to the stage.”
After taking piano lessons as a child, Fiddler scored a gig playing keyboard for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic from 1985 to 1996. A resident of Detroit’s Conant Gardens neighborhood, Fiddler is also credited with teaching his neighbor, the late J Dilla, how to use the Akai MPC sampling machine. Other artists Amp Fiddler worked with over the years include Moodymann, Jamiroquai, and Prince, among others; his keyboard playing also appears on Seal’s 1994 hit “Kiss from a Rose.” In 1990 he released his first solo album With Respect under the alias Mr. Fiddler, followed by 2004’s Waltz of a Ghetto Fly and most recently 2017’s Amp Dog Knights.
On Sunday and Monday, Fiddler’s many fans posted tributes on social media.
“Rest in eternal musical excellence Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Joseph Anthony ‘Amp’ Fiddler (May 17th, 1958-December 17th, 2023),” Parliament-Funkadelic wrote on Facebook. “Fly on Amp! We love you dearly!”
“Was never gonna be ready for this,” radio host Chris Campbell wrote on Facebook. “The Mayor of Conant Gardens. My hood. My heart. My history. My music. My culture. My Mentor. My brother. Never faked the funk. Never to be forgotten. Iconoclast. Legend. Rest in musical peace and rhythm Joseph Fiddler Amp Fiddler………. This hurts more than words can describe. I have to circle back to this when I have the vocabulary.”
“Rest easy brother Amp,” the Roots drummer Questlove wrote on Facebook. “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 🙏🏾 #AmpFiddler.”
“RIP Amp. Absolutely shattering loss,” wrote the DJ the Blessed Madonna. “Peace to Detroit especially. Amp Fiddler was the best of the best. The glue in so much important music and the center of a lot really special musical lives. Nothing but respect for his time here with us.”
“Thank you for EVERYTHING you did for so many of us via your mentorship, collaboration, and brotherhood,” local artist Bryce Detroit wrote. “Am grateful for you, your support, your impact, and your legacy.”
A new GoFundMe campaign has been launched to cover funeral expenses, and a public memorial for Amp Fiddler is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Fellowship Chapel, 7707 W. Outer Dr., Detroit.
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