Steve Arrington announced it on his Facebook:

Robert Wilson bass player for the Gap band just died of an heart attack. He was 53 years old. He will be missed huge. R.I.P

R.I.P.

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Guess this is REALLY the end of the Gap Band.

http://www.bassplayer.com/article/robert-wilson-filling/oct-05/13766

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

that is very young

Sorry to hear this. I've also just lost my LAST best friend of 20 years, and in an unrelated incident; a nephew, just 3 weeks ago (both died on the same day). Along with so many of my music hero's passing away, even a few neighbors in my building, I feel like the whole world is dying on me this year (...and there's still 4 months to go).

May Robert Wilson be resting peacefully, along with so many others.

PDogz said:

Sorry to hear this. I've also just lost my LAST best friend of 20 years, and in an unrelated incident; a nephew, just 3 weeks ago (both died on the same day). Along with so many of my music hero's passing away, even a few neighbors in my building, I feel like the whole world is dying on me this year (...and there's still 4 months to go).

May Robert Wilson be resting peacefully, along with so many others.

omg 4 more months till it ends? 2011 will be 2 years since mj going, this feels really scary, I'm in tears now

Mods, can this be stickied?

alphastreet said:

PDogz said:

Sorry to hear this. I've also just lost my LAST best friend of 20 years, and in an unrelated incident; a nephew, just 3 weeks ago (both died on the same day). Along with so many of my music hero's passing away, even a few neighbors in my building, I feel like the whole world is dying on me this year (...and there's still 4 months to go).

May Robert Wilson be resting peacefully, along with so many others.

omg 4 more months till it ends? 2011 will be 2 years since mj going, this feels really scary, I'm in tears now

Well, 4 months until 2010 ends anyway. And yeah, regarding Mike: I just got his "Live In Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour" DVD in the mail yesterday - still can't believe he's gone. The older I get, the more it seems to me that life is just a series of watching everyone around you die, until one day it's YOU that everyone is talking about being gone (...but THAT's news you'll never hear).

I've mentioned it before, but this whole DEATH thing is knocking me for a loop these days. But one thing I take solace in is that Robert Wilson is in the company of some very FUNKY individuals right about now, and the party aught to be going strong by the time I get there.

Unbelievable! My jaw dropped when i initially read this.

I feel like i grew up with this guy. I bought Gap Band

albums through high school and i always saw Robert as the

unsung hero of the group. His bass licks are legendary. It took me

a good 15 minutes to wrap my thoughts around this before i could

even begin typing. My thoughts and prayers go out to Charlie, Ronnie,

and the Wilson family. R.I.P Robert

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Robert Wilson of the Gap Band, 'Godfather of bass guitar,' dead at 53

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
Published: 8/15/2010 11:38 PM
Last Modified: 8/15/2010 11:55 PM

The “Godfather of Bass Guitar,” Robert Wilson of the legendary Tulsa jazz and funk group the Gap Band, died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 53, confirmed his publicist and manager, Don Jackson, in a late-night Sunday phone call to the Tulsa World.

Wilson died from a massive heart attack in his home, Jackson said. His family became concerned about him when they didn’t receive their regular phone calls from him throughout the day. His adult son found Wilson's body on Sunday afternoon in Palmdale, Calif.

His family could not be reached for comment on deadline. Funeral and memorial details will be shared as they become available, confirmed his publicist.

In a Tulsa World phone interview last week - his last public interview - Wilson expressed joy about returning to his boyhood home of Tulsa and an upcoming festival headlining show and following tour.

He is the son of a preacher and brother to Charlie and Ronnie, and was raised in Tulsa. The three brothers started the funk band The Gap Band in the 1970s, which was discovered by Tulsa Sound music icon Leon Russell.

“Leon came to my house and promised her he’d get me a tutor. He wanted me on the road, he knew we’d be a big thing,” Wilson laughed during the interview last week. “My mamma cooked him catfish, and we couldn’t believe he was eating dinner with us in our house,” he remembered of his early days. Wilson’s mother agreed - only to see Wilson later kicked out of the school for truancy. Too many late-night concerts, he laughed, “But I was all over the newspapers. My teachers knew I wasn’t sick,” he said, then laughed again. "I was famous at age 14,” he said, “But my brother Ronnie always took care of me."

The band, originally the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band, shortened its name to help it better stand out on gig posters, said Wilson in his last known press interview last week with the Tulsa World. The group’s hits include “You Dropped A Bomb On Me,” “I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops),” “Party Train” and others.

Indeed, before age 20, Wilson had played bass with some of the biggest names in music, including Eric Clapton and Billy Preston.

Wilson had been working on a new album, expected out this fall, confirmed Jackson. The project was co-produced by jazz master, sporting great and Tulsa native Wayman Tisdale before his death from cancer in 2009. Wilson was an early mentor during Tisdale’s budding jazz career, he said.

Details on funeral and memorial arrangements have not been announced, said Jackson. It’s likely that the Timeless Music Festival Wilson would have headlined on Aug. 28 will now be a tribute show to his memory, he said. Details are below.

The festival was planned as a traveling event, with more than 30 stops coast to coast, said Wilson.

Brother Ronnie has since left the Gap Band to become a bishop, said Wilson. His brother Charlie was nominated for two Grammy awards this year for best R&B solo album, “Uncle Charlie,” and best vocal performance for the tune “There Goes My Baby.”

Wilson said he and Charlie both still performed the canon of Gap Band hits in live shows. The last concert Robert Wilson did in Tulsa was four years ago, he said.

Wilson’s Facebook fan page hasn’t been updated since he posted a recent status to fans: “Thank you for your prays and support!!! Looking forward to sharing my new music and touring soon. And to all you Gapper’s... Oops Up Side Of Your Head. Love you, Robert.”

He is survived by a circle of close family and friends in the Tulsa area, including a sister, his brothers, nephews and “lots and lots” of friends, he said during the Tulsa World interview.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com...eGod700222

Very sad. I know Charlie is taken it hard. He has been touring with out them for years.....

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very sad. I know Charlie is taken it hard. He has been touring with out them for years.....

Robert and Charlie toured together until recently. Charlie's been on the solo thing for four years but whenever they had a chance, Robert was right there with Charlie. He was kinda like what Ernie was to Ronald.

Damn I'm just reading the age... just 53?!

That means he joined his brothers in '71. The timeline of the Gap Band hadn't really been clear.

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Timmy84 said:

Damn I'm just reading the age... just 53?!

That's the 2nd thing that jumped out at me!

PDogz said:

Timmy84 said:

Damn I'm just reading the age... just 53?!

That's the 2nd thing that jumped out at me!

It's like "wow he was just a baby."

It's so sad that the died alone.

vizionheiry said:

It's so sad that he died alone.

IKR?

"Get 'em Robert!"

fly on Robert, fly on

Damn... we are losing way too many talented musicians

Requiscat in Pace, Robert.

Awww, they're from my home town of Tulsa, OK. Quite a few years ago they got their own street, Gap Band Blvd, right in the middle of the Greenwood, Archer, and Pine Street area that they named themselves after. 53 is young. RIP.

Holy****.

Rob was my neighbor in Palmdale back in the day.

R.I.P.

Heaven got a little funkier today

.....but for those of us still on earth, a good chunk o' funk has left us.

Timmy84 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very sad. I know Charlie is taken it hard. He has been touring with out them for years.....

Robert and Charlie toured together until recently. Charlie's been on the solo thing for four years but whenever they had a chance, Robert was right there with Charlie. He was kinda like what Ernie was to Ronald.

Oh ok! I didn't know that. He was so young. 53 is just too young to die. Just like MJ dying at 50....