Guitarist Phil Upchurch, the session musician who worked with such artists as George Benson, Michael Jackson, and Donny Hathaway, died Nov. 23 in Los Angeles, according to his wife, Sonya Maddox-Upchurch.
A cause of death was not revealed. He was 84.
“Phil Upchurch was my personal gift from God, he was my best friend, my music partner, my life, and my hero,” she said in a written statement, according to Billboard. “Our love was supernatural, endless, timeless and as true as his favorite color blue. He was a master of chords and emotions. Anything that he placed his mind to complete—he did it. Well done, my love. I love you more than words can say and the heart can hold.”
Benson acknowledged Upchurch’s death on his social media account.
“We lost a dear Broadway Tours family member. The great Phil Upchurch. Phil was an integral part of the Breezin’ record having wrote the great song “Six to Four” as well as a key musician on the record Weekend In LA. 🤍🎶🕊️”
Upchurch, born in Chicago on July 19, 1941, played the ukulele at age 13 before turning to the guitar, bass, and drums. After graduating from high school in 1958, he went on tour with The Spaniels, three years before scoring a hit in 1961 with “You Can’t Sit Down.”
During his career as a studio musician, he shared the room with artists such as Ramsey Lewis, the Dells, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Curtis Mayfield, and Stan Getz.
Upchurch also authored two instructional music books and also wrote an autobiography, which will be released posthumously.
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