Famed jazz funk keyboardist George Duke passed away on 5 August 2013 at the age of 67 and his memorial service—which took place this past Monday—included performances from Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan. When Duke passed away, the ripple through Twitter showed just how many of today’s musicians were inspired and influenced by him—with condolences from Justin Timberlake, ?uestlove, Bootsy Collins and many more. We’re remembering Duke with the 1983 disco jam “Reach Out,” which lives on strong today and was most likely the inspiration for Breakbot’s “Baby I’m Yours,”—which, in turn, spurred the Bruno Mars’ hit “Treasure.”
George Duke: Reach Out