He as 66. Bootsy Collins said in a
statement that "my world will never be the same... Be happy for him, he
certainly is now and always has been the happiest young fellow I ever met on
this planet." Bootsy's wife, Patti Collins, told the Cincinnati Enquirer
that Catfish "was a father figure to my husband. He's the reason why
Bootsy is who he is." Catfish, eight years Bootsy's senior, suggested his
brother put bass strings on an old guitar. After being recruited by James
Brown, they played on such classics as "Give It Up or Turnit a
Loose," "Super Bad" and "Soul Power." By 1971 they had
left Brown's employ, going on to form the House Guests and then joining
Funkadelic in 1972 for albums such as "America Eats Its Young" and
"Cosmic Slop." Catfish remained with the group - which also lost
guitarist Garry Shider to cancer in June - until the mid-'80s. "(Catfish)
was a hell of a musician," keyboardist Bernie Worrell, who played with the
guitarist in Funkadelic, told the Enquirer. "People seem to forget that
the rhythm guitar behind James Brown was Catfish's creative genius, and that
was the rhythm besides Bootsy's bass."
