Johnny Cunningham, one of the great Celtic fiddlers of his generation as well as a producer and composer, has died. He was 46.
The cause was a heart attack, said Trisha McCormick, his girlfriend. Mr. Cunningham died Monday in McCormick’s New York apartment.
Mr. Cunningham was born in Portobello, Scotland, and his playing was rooted in Scottish traditions. Playing traditional reels and jigs, he was acclaimed for his dazzling speed and his light-fingered touch, and in slow airs he was known for his rich singing tone.
But he did not confine himself to Scottish or traditional music. He sat in with rock bands and with songwriters and wrote music for theater and dance groups.
Mr. Cunningham began playing fiddle when he was 7 after less success with harmonica, accordion and piano. He left home at 14 to become a musician in Edinburgh. In the early 1980s he moved to Massachusetts, and in the early ’90s he began touring with Kevin Burke, from Ireland, and Christian LeMaitre, from Brittany, as the Celtic Fiddle Festival.
