Garry ShiderGarry Shider, Parliament-Funkadelic's guitarist and musical director, lost his battle with brain and lung cancer on Wednesday. He was 56.

Known for donning a loincloth on stage, which earned him the nickname "Diaperman," Shider got his start playing in church before meeting George Clinton in the late '60s at the Plainfield, N.J. barbershop that would become the launching pad for P-Funk. But Shider, also known by the nickname "Starchild," didn't officially join Funkadelic until 1972, following a brief stint in Toronto with United Soul, a group he co-founded. Shider eventually returned to New Jersey and provided rhythm guitar and vocals on Funkadelic tracks 'Can You Get to That,' 'One Nation Under a Groove' and 'Cosmic Slop.' In Parliament, Shider along with Clinton and Bootsy Collins, co-wrote 'Unfunky UFO' and 'Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication' found on the group's famous 'Mothership Connection' LP.

Along with his many contributions to funk, Shider's contributions to hip-hop are also prominent. More than half a dozen P-Funk tracks were sampled on Dr. Dre's 1992 epic debut 'The Chronic,' which helped coin the rapper as the pioneer of West Coast g-funk. Outkast used bits of Parliament's 'Come In Out of the Rain' on their 1996 single 'Elevators (Me & You)' off 'ATLiens.' While Digital Underground sampled Parliament's 'Let's Play House' on 'The Humpty Dance.'

In 1997, Shider was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with 15 other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. He continued to tour with the band up through March when he was diagnosed with cancer.

In a final shout out to his fellow funk pioneer George Clinton wrote on his website, "Thank you, Garry for all you have done. Forever funkin' on!"

Hear Shider funk on in his 1988 single 'Beautiful' after the jump.

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