Musician and inventor who played with artists like Elvis Presley, Gene Autry and Frank Zappa died October 1 after cancer battle

Del Casher, the guitarist and inventor whose innovations included the wah-wah pedal, has died at the age of 88.

Casher died October 1 following a battle with cancer, according to a GoFundMe to raise money for his widow Eiko. TMZ was first to report on Casher’s death.

Born Delton Kacher in Hammond, Indana, Casher first performed with artists like Gene Autry, Lawrence Welk and the Three Suns while also experimenting with new techniques and technologies in an effort to make his own electric guitar playing stand out.

In the early Sixties, while playing with the Thomas Organ company’s Vox Ampliphonic Orchestra, Casher asked about making his guitar sound like the trumpet, complete with the ability to mildly suppress the instrument mid-playing.…