George Duke, RIP

by Fred Pessaro

R&B/Funk/Jazz fusion artist George Duke has passed away at age 67, according to Radio Facts:

Radio Facts is sorry to report that vet musician George Duke died last night on August 5. No word yet on what happened but we will keep you posted. Duke just completed an album [Dreamweaver] and was in the process of promoting it after losing his wife and falling into a depression just a year ago.

Sad, sad news.

Besides being a solo artist on his own, Duke has also collaborated with a variety of notables, including names like Michael Jackson, Frank Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Deniece Williams, Miles Davis and many others. He has also been sampled/interpolated a variety of times over the years, including Daft Punk, Kanye West, MF Doom, Ice Cube and more.

The legendary keyboardist was scheduled to play BB King’s this weekend (August 10).

RIP, George Duke. Though you definitely left your mark on pop music and beyond. Head below for some classic tracks and songs from Dreamweaver.

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