Anthony Jackson, the acclaimed session bassist whose inventive playing anchored classic recordings like The O’Jays’ “For the Love of Money,” has died at the age of 73.
An official cause of death was not announced, but he was reportedly suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
For decades, Jackson was an in-demand musician whose work was heard on dozens of records, including Billy Paul’s 1972 No. 1 hit “Me and Mrs. Jones,” Parade reports. His extensive discography includes collaborations with Chaka Khan, Simon & Garfunkel, Roberta Flack, Madonna, Jimmy Buffett, Quincy Jones and many others.
Jackson was also an innovator, credited with creating the six-string “contrabass guitar,” Parade noted. The instrument was custom-built for him by luthier Carl Thompson in 1975 and later produced by the