These stories aren’t easy to write at the best of times, but coming just a few days before Christmas, it just seems that bit harder and certainly a bit less fairer. Ears To The House is saddened this morning to hear the news that Detroit’s very own Joseph Anthony Fiddler – who produced music recently under the name Amp Fiddler – has died at the age of 65.

Fiddler was a musician whose legacy is as diverse as it is long – starting out in the 1970s in soul group Enchantment before joining George Clinton’s Parliament / Funkadelic later in the same decade. In more recent years, he was involved with Defected’s Luke Solomon on a release called “Come On Over” – but he had other endeavours too.

Not least in the form of music education. Keen to pass on what he knew to future generations, Fiddler launched music production school Camp Amp in Los Angeles in the 1980s – the school moved with him when he returned to Detroit later, where he ended up tutoring the likes of J Dilla, and Andrés.

The exact cause of Fiddler’s death is currently unknown, but Ears To The House understands that he had been battling cancer for some time. Just days before Christmas last year, Fiddler launched a fundraiser to help pay for medical expenses – at the time of publication, this currently stands at just over $78,000.

Our sympathies go out to Fiddler’s family and friends at this immensely sad time.