Overview
- The drummer, who died Thursday, was 86, his wife told Rolling Stone.
- His wife said he recently had surgery and suffered a bad fall that injured his back, and no additional cause of death was given.
- He first broke through with Charles Wright’s Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band before anchoring Bill Withers’ Still Bill era, laying down pivotal parts on Lean on Me, Use Me, and the Jackson 5’s Dancing Machine.
- His studio work powered Diana Ross’ Love Hangover, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, and Marvin Gaye’s I Want You, and he stayed in demand for decades with Paul McCartney, Beck, Justin Timberlake, D’Angelo, and Harry Styles.
- Questlove called him foundational to danceable breakbeats as peers like Ray Parker Jr. mourned, with friends noting recent health problems that had led to postponed plans earlier this year.