Chuck Brown, the legendary musician who is known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” passed away Wednesday, his daughter confirmed to ABC7’s Sam Ford.
Brown died Wednesday at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Hospital spokesman Gary Stephenson confirmed Brown had died after a hospital stay that began April 18.
His publicist says the cause of death is multiorgan failure due to sepsis.
Brown’s passing comes about a week after the Washington Post confirmed that the musician, considered the pioneer of Go-Go music, had been hospitalized with pneumonia.
Brown’s 1970 hit, “Bustin’ Loose,” hit #1 on the MCA charts. The song was later sampled in the 2002 Nelly song, “Hot in Herre,” which won Nelly a Grammy.
He had recently postponed numerous shows due to his failing health.
“Go-go is D.C.’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music, and Chuck Brown was regarded as Go-go’s creator and, arguably, its most legendary artist,” D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said in a statement. “Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over, but especially in the District of Columbia. Without Chuck Brown, the world – and our city – will be a different place. What a loss.”
Thanks to Brown and his deep, gravelly voice, go-go music was uniquely identified with Washington. That’s where he continued to play the city’s club circuit late in life.
