The New Jersey musician was a founding member of 70s funk band Parliament-Funkadelic alongside George Clinton.
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Once the collective – which recorded as both the soul-leaning Parliament and the rock-focused Funkadelic – relocated to Detroit, Worrell took a major role in the group, writing songs, playing keys (including the springy riffs that were at the center of numerous bands’ greatest tracks) and arranging horns.
A statement posted to Worrell’s Facebook page Friday said, “Bernie transitioned Home to The Great Spirit”.
Mr. Worrell played on the band’s critically acclaimed studio album “Speaking in Tongues” (1983) and was featured in their concert film “Stop Making Sense” (1984), directed by Jonathan Demme, and its accompanying soundtrack.
Worrell began working with Talking Heads in the early 1980s when P-Funk went on a touring hiatus.
The classically trained keyboardist (he studied at Juilliard and the New England Conservatory of Music) made his name – and an indelible mark on music – in the world of P-Funk. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s very heavy discography shows just how astounding his musical creativeness took him.
WORRELL radically changed the course of emerging keyboard technology, boasting flawless pitch and a well-honed facility with the classical canon. Inspired by psychedelic rock bands such as Sly and the Family Stone and Cream, Worrell hooked up with Clinton, moved to Detroit and formed Parliament-Funkadelic. “I love you, too”. Judie issued another update on June 16, warning fans that the end was near. “I don’t know what to -” Worrell said. Worrell ended up remaining the band’s keyboardist and unofficial member for the next dozen years until their 1992 breakup.
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Over the years, Worrell has also collaborated with Jack Bruce, B-52’s Fred Schneider, Mos Def, Les Claypool, Fela Kuti, Ginger Baker and many more. Worrell’s ominous colorings, this time delivered via new digital keyboards such as the Prophet 5, were central to the recasting of group leader David Byrne’s musical ideas through African rhythms. He also released a number of solo albums.
