Calvin Simon, singer for Parliament-Funkadelic, dead at 79

Calvin Simon, a singer and original member of the influential, genre-bending music collective Parliament-Funkadelic, has died at age 79.

His death was announced on the official Facebook page for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, which wrote, “Fly on Calvin!”

The news was later confirmed on Simon’s personal Facebook page with a post featuring a photo of the music group in 1974.

“Thank everyone for the wonderful memories… we will so miss you Calvin… but love the thought that heaven just got a bit funkier, reads the announcement, which was shared Saturday.

Simon, whose cause of death was not released, began in the late 1950s with the doo-wop band the Parliaments, which formed in New Jersey.

The West Virginia-born artist was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of the multi-band Parliament-Funkadelic collective.

Simon most recently released an album titled “I Believe” in 2018.

“There was such a positive message and vibe to the original music of Parliament Funkadelic that was delivered in a fun way,” Simon said on his website ahead of the album’s release. “True music, true arrangements, pure joy.”