More on Rick James
So far, none of the obituaries that I've seen has mentioned Rick James' influence on other artists.

Let's start with Eddie Murphy. In the 1980s, Eddie Murphy was a young, raw, exciting TV star who became a young, raw, exciting movie star. Why NOT enter the record world? Murphy's most notable musical accomplishment was by far "Party All The Time," the Rick James-written and produced number.

Opinions definitely vary on this song. The altreel writer wrote:

At the height of his film career, Eddie Murphy let his ego get ahead of his talent by entering the studio to record "Party all the Time" with the legendary Rick James, who wrote and produced the tune....If you just check out the lyrics to "Party all the Time" you may declare it one of the shallowest, most banal song of all time. But believe me, back in 1985, this tune would stick with you all day if you heard it on the radio. Remember when Murphy tried to serenade Tina Turner with an impromptu version of the "Party" at the Video Music Awards? Truly embarrassing.

And altreel quotes from Rolling Stone:

"Not only does Murphy lack the equipment to carry off his soul-star ambitions, he seems genuinely uncomfortable trying to deliver any but the most basic emotions," according to The Rolling Stone Album Guide.

But then altreel opened things up to listener comments. Here's Anthony Burrows:

"UTTERLY SATISFYING TASTEFULLY MESMERIZING These are the words I choose to describe Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time"....

And here's Claude Tellier:

"Was it any worse than what was played on mainstream radio in 1985? I thought it fit right in."

My recollection - even though Eddie doesn't have an overpowering voice, the song worked for him. In retrospect, however, the song indicates the change from raw SNL superstar to inoffensive recluse. Admit it - back when "Party All The Time" was released, you would NEVER expect Murphy to turn up in a Michael Jackson video - but he did.

Wait, I'm supposed to be talking about Rick James here. Obviously he had some influence over the success of this song. Some production talent there.

Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews (which, if you haven't read them, measure artists against a VERY high standard) has this to say about Rick James and other artists:

Never an innovator, borrowing heavily from P-Funk and later Prince, but in his prime Rick James came up with some excellent funky tunes, several of which hit the charts again after being sampled by hip hop artists....During his peak years he also produced big hits for other artists, including Eddie Murphy, Teena Marie, and his creation, the Mary Jane Girls. He didn't last at the top too long, and since he's not particularly gifted as a singer or instrumentalist, and didn't have an individual production style, that's not too surprising.

...[A]nother ballad, "Dream Maker"...is notable for the faked female orgasmic moans which would later become a Prince trademark.

Wild And Peaceful (Teena Marie: 1979)
James's first outside production venture was for soul singer Teena Marie. James wrote almost everything here...and he sings most of the vocals on the opening duet "I'm A Sucker For Your Love."...Teena Marie gives the material everything she's got, but her over the top emotionalism can't disguise the fact that her voice is rather thin....Teena Marie soon parted ways with James and began producing her own records.

Street Songs (1981)
James rocketed to his commercial and artistic peak here, with his two biggest and most memorable hits: "Give It To Me Baby" and "Super Freak," both raunchy midtempo funk with killer bass lines and catchy vocal mannerisms. ("Super Freak" was later absorbed into MC Hammer's massive hit "U Can't Touch This.")....The Rick James album to have. (DBW)

Mary Jane Girls (1983)
This was James' version of a female funk act: he either stole the idea from Prince's Vanity 6 or the other way around, depending on who you believe. James hit the jackpot in commercial terms - this sold far better than Vanity 6, Apollonia 6 or either of George Clinton's girl groups (Parlet and Brides Of Funkenstein) - and it's a pretty good album. The hit was the slow, funky "All Night Long" which was later sampled on LL Cool J's "Around The Way Girl"....

By the way, here are portions of the Wilson & Alroy review of the Eddie Murphy album:

Eddie Murphy, How Could It Be (1985)
...The results aren't too bad: Murphy has a likeable if unexceptional falsetto; Rick James' light funk "Party All The Time" was a major hit single; and Stevie Wonder donated two fine tracks....The problems start when Murphy gets involved in the songwriting and production: "How Could It Be" and "My God Is Color Blind" are sappy ballads that reveal the limits of his voice and the shallowness of his musical imagination. (DBW)

I encourage you to visit the link to read about Murphy's second music album (which I didn't even realize existed). Keep on reading and note that Nirvana didn't get their own page.