On Sunday it emerged that another beloved musician had gone too soon.
Fred Alexander, a longtime member of funk legends Lakeside, has died according to a bandmate.
The lead guitarist of the band “Fantastic Voyage”, Stephen Shockleybroke the news on Sunday. He shed light on how Alexander helped the group keep having fun, literally and figuratively.
“Today is a very sad day for our band Lakeside because we lost Fred Alexander,” Shockley wrote. “The little general… The backbone of all our records with his drumming… The most motivated and persistent man I’ve ever met… That’s why he became an administrator of our organization… I mean… he could find a gig in the back of Goodwill… under a rock or buried in the mud… He kept us working after all seemed lost about twelve years ago…
“He made sure our taxes were paid… He kept our trademark consistent and up to date… He made sure our plane flights were always taken care of… and he loved doing the job… But most of all, he was a brother… We traveled together through all of our albums, all of our concerts, TV shows, ups and downs… Until the wheels fell off…”
The guitarist added, “after 49 years together in friendship, music and brotherhood… God stepped in and said, ‘I can take care of him a little better, so hand him over to me… I already have this…’ Rest in heaven, little general… I love you and we all love him with all our hearts, Fred… you will be missed… Those are some BIG little shoes to fill!!!”
The cause of death was not revealed and Alexander’s age was not publicly available at press time.
Lakeside began in the late ’70s before becoming part of the mainstream in 1980 with their hit song “Fantastic Voyage,” from the album of the same name. They also had hits with songs like “Outrageous” (1984), “Raid” (1983) and “Something About That Woman” (1982). They also released a notable cover of The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold You Hand” on their 1982 album. Your wish is my command.
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