I actually thought he was dead, obviously wrong 😁.
Crowdfunding is fine, I guess if you know the artist’s style and material. Too many people use it who you’ve never heard of, I get requests from people via social media quite regularly.
With regard to this guy, surely he should be in a position to not need to resort to it? I also think that the money he’s asking seems to be rather a lot.
Personally I wouldn’t donate, I hate funk, but I guess if you’re a fan of his, and have money to spare, then why not.