Nashville (Tennessee), USA - Veteran fiddler, Vassar Clements, died at his home August 16th at 8:25 am (Central time), according to his daughter Midge. Clements had been suffering from lung cancer. He was 77.

Vassar Clements was described as the Father of Hillbilly Jazz. His work encompassed multiple genres, including country, bluegrass, Western swing, jazz, rock, blues and classical.

He was one the world's most versatile fiddle players. His career began at a very early age. His phenomenal ability to virtually play any kind of music (bluegrass, country, pop, rock, jazz and swing) garnered him various awards, including five Grammy nominations and a track record that involves multitudes of recording performances.