Who was Amp Fiddler? GoFundMe raises more than $12,000 as Detroit funk soul legend dies aged 65 

Detroit’s funk soul legend Amp Fiddler passed away at the age of 65, after suffering from a long-term illness. Questlove, a member of The Roots, confirmed the news of Amp Fiddler’s death as he posted a tribute for him on social media.

Nme.com reported that the musician passed away on December 18, 2023. The family has set up a GoFundMe to cover the late musician's funeral and memorial service expenses. While the goal of the fundraiser was to collect $9,000, it has crossed the target as the family received more than $12,000. This is because more than 190 people had donated money in just three hours.

The About Section of the GoFundMe stated:

“This is a funeral fundraiser to help cover the cost of Amp’s funeral expenses. There was no preparation for the high cost of a funeral, and during this difficult time, we are humbly reaching out to the community for 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 honour he truly deserves.”

GoFundMe raises more than the target as the Detroit musician passes away. (Image via GoFundMe)

Amp Fiddler, born in May 1958, started his musical career in the 1970s. During his career, he worked with George Clinton, Moodymann, Stephanie McKay, and even Prince.

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Amp Fiddler joined the R&B group Enchantment in the 1970s

Social media users were saddened to know about Fiddler’s demise. Many remembered him for his music styles—funk, soul, and dance—while others remembered his contributions to the R&B group, Enchantment, which he joined in the 1970s. Having started his career early, he released his first solo album, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly in March 2004.

Meanwhile, his most recent album was released more than six years back in 2017, named Amp Dog Knights. He received immense success as he also worked on other albums over the years, like With Respect in 1990, Afro Strut in 2006, Kindred Live in 2017, and even Motor City Booty in 2016.

On the other hand, his other songs like Basementality, Love and War, Possibilities, Too High, Eye to Eye, Ridin’/ Faith, and Find My Way also became super popular among the masses. While the family did not state much about his death in the fundraiser, they did talk about him being a “guiding force of light,” as the "About" section also stated:

“Our beloved “Amp” Fiddler, Detroit’s own world-renowned ambassador of funk, soul, and 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.”

On the other hand, this is not the first fundraiser that has been started for Amp Fiddler, as a GoFundMe was started for the artist last year, in December 2022. The fundraiser was organized to collect donations for the musician who had already spent many months in the hospital after undergoing surgery in August.

At the time, Amp Fiddler's family was able to collect $78,500 as 985 people donated to the cause. The fundraiser stated how he needed money for his healing journey, and to cover his wellness needs.