Parliament-Funkadelic Co-Founder William 'Billy Bass' Nelson Dies At 75

William "Billy Bass" Nelson, the founding bassist of Parliament-Funkadelic, died on Saturday (Jan. 31) at the age of 75. An announcement of Nelson's death was shared on George Clinton's official Facebook page, which features an archival photo of the musician along with the caption, "Rest in eternal peace and Funk." No cause of death has been disclosed. Born January 28, 1951, in Plainfield, New Jersey, Nelson met Clinton as a teenager at Clinton's barbershop, the Silk Palace. He joined Clinton's doo-wop group the Parliaments, contributing to their 1967 hit "(I Wanna) Testify," which reached No. 3 on Billboard's R&B chart and No. 20 on the pop chart. Nelson performed on Funkadelic's first three albums, including the landmark Maggot Brain in 1971, which included the track "You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks" that featured Nelson on vocals. He left the band in 1971 over financial disputes with Clinton, and he went on to work with the Temptations, Commodores, Fishbone, Lionel Richie, and other acts. Nelson rejoined P-Funk in 1994 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside fifteen other members of the group in 1997.