In Memoriam - Page 23

Another great bassist has left us. Rick Rosas, who served as longtime bassist for Neil Young, has passed away at the age of 65. The cause of death has not been released. Affectionately known as “Rick the Bass Player,” Rosas got his musical start in an instrumental surf band called Mark & The Escorts in the early 1960’s. The core...

We have lost one of the titans of music and bass. Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71, reportedly of liver disease. According to BBC, Bruce’s publicist has confirmed the news, and the family has issued this statement on the bass legend’s official website: “It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of...

Bassist John Gustafson, who spent time in the Ian Gillan Band and Roxy Music, has passed away of undisclosed causes. He was 72. Gustafson was born in Liverpool and started his early career in the late ’50s and early ’60s. His first group was one of the UK’s first rock trios called The Big Three, which he joined in July...

Glenn Cornick, the original bassist for Jethro Tull, passed away on August 29th, reportedly of congestive heart failure. He was 67. Cornick appeared on Jethro Tull’s first three albums, This Was (1968), Stand Up (1969) and Benefit (1970). He left the group during the early recording sessions for Aqualung. Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson broke the news on the band’s...

Tim “Rawbiz” Williams, who played with artists from Toni Braxton to Suicidal Tendencies, has passed away. Suicidal Tendencies announced the new on their Facebook page. “It’s with complete sadness that we have to announce the passing of bassists Tim “Rawbiz” Williams,” the band wrote. “Tim played bass for Suicidal Tendencies for almost four years until recently. Tim was a monster...

Billy Rath, bassist for classic punk band Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, has passed away after a long illness. He was 66. Rath joined the New York-based Heartbreakers in 1976, replacing original bassist Richard Hell. He was featured on the band’s only studio album, L.A.M.F, which caught the attention of the Sex Pistols. The band went on tour with the...

American jazz bassist Charlie Haden, who made waves with artists like free jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman and pianist Keith Jarrett, has passed away after a prolonged illness, according to a statement from ECM Records. He was 76. Born in Shenandoah, Iowa in 1937, Haden was raised on a farm and started on bass at an early age. His family had...

Rock bassist Randy Coven, who toured and recorded with artists including Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai, passed away on May 20th of undisclosed causes. He was 54. Born in Great Neck, New York, Coven was introduced to music at a young age. His parents fostered his love of music by taking him to the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium when...

Japanese bassist Akihiro Yokoyama of the veteran thrash metal band United has passed away at the age of 49. The cause of death was not declared, but a statement called his passing sudden. “It happened totally out of the blue and it is very hard for his family, UNITED and the staff to accept it, but we wanted to share...

Original Foreigner bassist Ed Gagliardi has passed away after a eight years of battling cancer. He was 62. Gagliardi was the final member added to create Foreigner in 1976. The native New Yorker was of the American half of the band while the other three members of the sextet were British. Although he was right-handed, Gagliardi played a Rickenbacker bass...

Juan Formell, who played bass and led the popular Cuban band Los Van Van, has died of liver disease. He was 71. Formell was born in Havana in 1942 and started his professional music career at the age of 15. He worked in cabarets, radio and television and was bassist for the band Revolutionary Police by 1959. The bassist formed...

Atlanta Rhythm Section bassist Paul Goddard has passed away, according to news reports and confirmed by the band on their Facebook page. He was 68. Goddard was among the founding members of the band in 1970 when the former members of the Candymen and the Classics IV became the session band for Studio One in Doraville, Georgia. Goddard retired from...