Legendary funk guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins died on Aug. 6 in Cincinnati after a long battle with cancer, according to Rolling Stone. He was 66.
Collins grew up in Cincinnati with his brother and bandmate Bootsy Collins, helping the flamboyant bassist develop his signature sound. "My world will never be the same without him," Bootsy said in a statement. "Be happy for him, he certainly is now and always has been the happiest young fellow I ever met on this planet."
In 1968, the brothers played together in the Pacemakers until James Brown hired them to join his touring band, J.B.'s in 1969. Collins's made big contributions to a number of Brown's notable songs including ' Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine,' 'Soul Power' and 'Super Bad.'
After playing with Brown for two years, the original J.B.'s quit and the Collins brothers moved on to perform with Parliament-Funkadelic. Collins not only played on the band's 1972 album 'America Eats Its Young' but also contributed to his brother's side project, Bootsy's Rubber Band. Collins left P-Funk in 1983 and most recently contributed the 'Superbad' soundtrack in 2007.
Collins' passing comes almost two months after fellow Parliament-Funkadelic guitarist Garry Shider died from brain and lung cancer at the age of 56.
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