Bernie Worrell

George Bernard Worrell Jr was an American musician and record producer Born in Long Branch New Jersey Worrell was a child musical prodigy He later studied at the Juilliard School and received a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1967 After meeting George Clinton frontman of the Parliaments Worrell relocated with them and their backing band the Funkadelics to Detroit Michigan both groups became collectively known as ParliamentFunkadelic Worrell cowrote and played piano and synthesizers on many of their recordings as well as writing horn and rhythm arrangements In the 1980s Worrell performed and recorded with Talking Heads appearing on the live album The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads the studio album Speaking in Tongues and in the bands concert film Stop Making Sense In 2016 the New England Conservatory of Music awarded Worrell an honorary Doctor of Music degree Worrell died at his home in Everson Washington on June 24 2016 at the age of 72 from a combination of prostate cancer liver cancer and lung cancer