Funk Legend Jimmy Castor Passes Away At 64
Legendary funk musician Jimmy Castor passed away yesterday morning (January 16) in Las Vegas at age 64. The cause of death for the influential saxophonist whose music has been sampled by everyone from Kanye West to N.W.A is still unknown causes, reports PrefixMag.
As the lead member of the Jimmy Castor Bunch, Castor is most famous for the group’s hit “Troglodyte (Cave Man)” which peaked at No. 4 on the R&B charts in 1972. Known to fans as “The Everything Man,” Castor broke into the music industry when he joined the doo-wop group The Teenagers as storied singer Frankie Lymon’s replacement in 1957.
The jack-of-all-trades went on to become a respected producer and songwriter and penned many of his own songs including his 1972 hit “I Promise to Remember.”
Hip-Hop fans know Castor’s music from classics like N.W.A’s “Gangsta, Gangsta” and Kanye West’s “We Don’t Care” which were built on samples of the late legend’s work. 1972’s “It’s Just Begun” (see video below) became a staple in breakdancing circles in the 1980’s and appeared in the 1983 film Flashdance.
Castor’s grandson, P.J. Romain, who is a Las Vegas-based DJ and producer, took to Twitter to confirm the grim news early yesterday morning. “My grandfather is unresponsive at the hospital” tweeted Romain at 4 a.m. yesterday. He confirmed Castor’s passing hours later in a series of heartfelt tweets. “R.I.P. TO MY HERO!!… My grandfather Jimmy Castor died today at 2:30 on MLK day.”
