One of the founding members of the seminal funk band Parliament-Funkadelic, Clarence Eugene “Fuzzy” Haskins, has passed away. He was 81.
That was verified to NPR by a statement from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted Haskins and the other founding members of Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997.
Haskins began his singing career in the 1950s and 1960s in New Jersey with the doo-wop vocal quintet The Parliaments. He was born in Elkhorn, West Virginia.
The group, fronted by dynamic musician and producer George Clinton and named after an American cigarette brand, didn’t find widespread popularity until 1967, when they released the single “I Want Testify.”
Fuzzy Haskins Cause Of Death
There was no official word on what killed Fuzzy Haskins at age 81. Bootsy Collins and George Clinton, two of his former bandmates, have verified the news.
Haskins, Clarence Eugene “Fuzzy” was born on June 8th, 1941. He was a member of The Parliaments, a popular doo-wop band of the 1950s and 1960s.
In the ’70s, the iconic vocalist helped form the seminal funk groups Parliament and Funkadelic, better known as Parliament-Funkadelic.
In 1977, Haskins decided to pursue a solo career and he departed Parliament-Funkadelic. Together with the other fourteen members of Parliament-Funkadelic, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards went to both Haskins and Parliament-Funkadelic in 2019. Haskins, Simon, and Thomas performed as Funkadelic on Soul Train in 1981.
Tributes To Haskins Are Posted On Many Social Media Platforms
- A friend and former bandmate Bootsy Collins tweeted, “Prayer’s going out to Clarence ‘Fuzzys’ Haskins family & friends. We lost his frequency today 3-17- 23. He was an original Parliament/Funkadelic inducted in the RHOF.We will miss u my friend, bandmate & Soul brother! Thx u for ur guidance in my pup year’s. Bootsy baby!!!”
The tweet below by Bootsy Collins:
Prayer's going out to Clarence "Fuzzys" Haskins family & friends.🙏 We lost his frequency today
3-17- 23. He was an original Parliament/Funkadelic inducted in the RHOF.🤘We will miss u my friend, bandmate & Soul brother!😢 Thx u for ur guidance in my pup year's. Bootsy baby!!!🤩 pic.twitter.com/IQI6crS8sS— Bootsy Collins (@Bootsy_Collins) March 18, 2023
- “Fuzzy wrote and co-wrote some of Funkadelic’s earliest classics, including ‘I Got A Thing’ (featuring his vocals) and ‘I Wanna Know If It’s Good To You,’” Clinton’s website wrote of Haskins.
- With the song “Can You Get To That,” which he co-wrote, he demonstrates his skill as a drummer. America Eats Its Young, Funkadelic’s 1972 album, included some of Fuzzy’s finest vocal work, most notably on the track “Ms Lucifers Love.”
- Fuzzy contributed more to P-Funk than just his vocal voice. Live, he would often wear skintight bodysuits and gyrate against the microphone pole as he worked the P-Funk audience into a frenzy, notably during “Standing on the Edge of Getting it On.”
- “He was a good drummer as well, as he proved on ‘Can You Get To That,’ which he also co-wrote. Some of Fuzzy’s best vocals appeared on Funkadelic’s 1972 LP America Eats Its Young, most notably on ‘Ms Lucifers Love.’ But singing wasn’t the only thing that Fuzzy brought to P-Funk. He was known, during live P-Funk shows, to don skin-tight bodysuits and gyrate against the microphone pole as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy, especially when they performed ‘Standing on the Verge of Getting it On.’”
- “Fuzzy was not only a talented singer & musician, he was a leader & team player. He was always a light at the party, the shows or wherever he would go. He commanded attention on stage & off,” Collins added in a statement to NPR.
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A Look At Fuzzy Haskins’ Life
Haskins was a founding member of P-Funk and a fantastic musician and composer who garnered praise for his “explosive stage presence,” as described by Pitchfork.
P-Punk was well-known for releasing funk-influenced music with a psychedelic edge. P-Funk, despite its origins in the ’50s, is still considered a groundbreaking group today.
Many of their songs, such as 1975’s “Giving Up the Funk” and 1978’s “Flash Light,” were huge successes.
Clinton spoke very highly of his old teammate. Haskins, he said, not only sang, but was also skilled at drumming.
“He was a good drummer as well, as he proved on ‘Can You Get to That,’ which he also co-wrote,” the website read. “Some of Fuzzy’s best vocals appeared on Funkadelic’s 1972 LP America Eats Its Young, most notably on ‘Ms Lucifers Love.’ But singing wasn’t the only thing that Fuzzy brought to P-Funk.”
“He was known, during live P-Funk shows, to don skin-tight bodysuits and gyrate against the microphone pole as he whipped the crowd into a frenzy, especially when they performed ‘Standing on the Verge of Getting it On.'”
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