What was he the colonel of?

That was his stage name. He was a musician.

Fucker died on stage. Respect.

On May 1, 2017, Hampton was honored by his friends at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia for his 70th birthday. Hampton 70: A Celebration of Col. Bruce Hampton was an all-star concert featuring, Widespread Panic members John Bell, Dave Schools, Duane Trucks and Jimmy Herring; Peter Buck of R.E.M; steel guitarist Darick Campbell; saxophone player Karl Denson; Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon; Jon Fishman of Phish; banjo player Rev. Jeff Mosier; guitarist Warren Haynes; Drivin N Cryin frontman Kevn Kinney; Atlanta jazz-staple Johnny Knapp; the legendary Chuck Leavell; Athens rock-troubadour T. Hardy Morris; 13-year-old guitar prodigy Brandon Niederauer;Slide Guitarist Derek Trucks and Blues Singer Susan Tedeschi of the Tedeschi Trucks Band; John Popper of Blues Traveler; funk bassist Kevin Scott; keyboardist Matt Slocum; Denny Walley of Frank Zappa fame; gypsy-metal guitarist Emil Werstler; Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers; MLB star Jake Peavy; and the Colonel’s “Sling Blade” co-star, actor Billy Bob Thornton. The event was produced by Good Times Productions with the proceeds benefiting the Fox Theatre Institute and other musician-focused charities. During the encore performance of the show, Hampton suffered a medical emergency and collapsed on stage.[17] Onlookers and his fellow musicians initially either did not notice that Hampton had collapsed, or thought it was a ruse. As a result, Hampton lay slumped over an amplifier on the edge of the stage for several minutes before he was taken offstage for medical attention;[18] he died shortly thereafter at Emory University Hospital Midtown.