R.I.P. Clyde Stubblefield (1943-2017); James Brown's ''Funky Drummer''

Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's 'Funky Drummer,' Dead at 73Clyde Stubblefield, James Brown's one-time drummer and the creator of one of hip-hop's most popular samples, has died at the age of 73. Stubblefield's wife, Jody Hannon, confirmed the drummer's death to Rolling Stone. The cause of death was kidney failure.

"The Funky Funkiest Drummer Of All Time," Questlove wrote on Saturday. "Clyde Stubblefield thank you for everything you've taught me. The spirit of the greatest grace note left hand snare drummer will live on thru all of us."

Stubblefield, while a member of Brown's backing unit, performed on the funk legend's classic cuts like "Cold Sweat," "Ain't It Funky Now," "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "I Got the Feelin'" and Brown's landmark LP Cold Sweat and Sex Machine.

However, it's a brief drum break, a snippet of a Stubblefield solo found on Brown's 1970 single for "Funky Drummer," that marked the drummer's biggest impact on music.

The drum break served as the backbeat for countless hip-hop tracks, ranging from Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," "Bring the Noise" and "Rebel Without a Cause" to N.W.A's "*beep* tha Police" and Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride," LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" and Run-D.M.C.'s "Run's House" to Beastie Boys' "Shadrach." Even Ed Sheeran's "Shirtsleeves" and George Michael's "Freedom '90" were among the over a thousand songs to sample Stubblefield's beat.

In April 2016, Stubblefield revealed that Prince was secretly paid the $90,000 in medical bills the drummer accumulated while undergoing chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Prince considered Stubblefield one of his "drumming idols," Stubblefield told Billboard following Prince's death.

"We lost another Pillar Stone that held up the Foundation of Funk," Bootsy Collins, who performed along Stubblefield on Sex Machine, wrote on Facebook Saturday. "Mr. Clyde Stubblefield has left our frequency. I am lost for words & Rythme right now. Dang Clyde! U taught me so much as I stood their watchin' over u & Jabo while keepin' one eye on the Godfather. We all loved U so much."http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/clyde-stubblefield-james-browns-funky-drummer-dead-at-73-w467805