12 March 2024 , 21:01
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Anthony Walker, known as Baby Gap from his time with Gap Band, has died at 60.
Anthony’s younger brother Dr. Eric Walker has confirmed that the musician passed away at an Ohio hospital after suffering complications from a neck surgery he was undergoing. It is unclear what the surgery was for precisely or what happened, but his brother confirmed that he died as a result of it last Monday to TMZ.
A celebration of his life is now set to be held in his hometown of Chicago later this week. Meanwhile, his family has offered their gratitude to his fans for their love and support following his tragic death.
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Anthony performed with the band for over 23 yearsAnthony became a member of The Gap Band in 1979 and was a songwriter, dancer and choreographer. While the band had originally formed some 12 years earlier in 1967 he became a key member of the group for over 23 years.
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The band often appeared on huge TV shows including Dick Clark's American Bandstand, Don Cornelius' Soul Train and Solid Gold. During Michael Jackson's hey day Anthony showed off his own dance floor prowess as he appeared on Dick's show to demonstrate how to do the move.
Anthony collaborated with Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson in 1985 as well as bandmate Billy Young and they produced the album Billy & Baby Gap together. It became the first band member collaborative album they released the lead single Rock The Nation hit No.3 in the charts.
Over the course of his incredible career in music, Anthony also worked with huge names in the industry including Rick James and George Clinton. Snoop Dogg's single Snoop's Upside Ya Head also features him playing percussion as a musician.
Outside of The Gap Band, Anthony put his dancing skills to work to form break-dancing group Tidal Wave during the '70s. The band won several awards for their dance prowess and even beat the famous New York City Breakers in competition.
Dance and choreography was a huge passion for Anthony and became a pivotal part of his career with him teaching at John Travolta's dance studio in the early '80s and working as a choreographer for Disney. Prior to his death, he had been working alongside other former members of The Gap Band in the group GapX.