In Memoriam: Matthew Seligman

Matthew Seligman

Matthew Seligman, who worked with artists like David Bowie and Thomas Dolby, has passed away from COVID-19. He was 64 years old. Dolby relayed the news through Seligman’s friend Kevin Armstrong on Facebook.

“Friday: Matthew Seligman has suffered a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke from which he won’t recover,” Armstrong wrote. “I am so sad to have to bear this terrible news. I have loved him as a friend and a fellow musician for 40 years.” Dolby later confirmed his death with a simple message saying “Matthew’s gone.”

Seligman was born in Cyprus and raised in England when he was just a baby. It was there he was influenced by musicians like Paul McCartney, Andy Fraser, and Tina Weymouth that led him to play bass. He was a founding member of Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, which included Dolby, before leaving in 1979 to join The Soft Boys. Though the band only released two albums before breaking up in 1980, they’re credited as being an influence on bands like the Flaming Lips and the Replacements.

He had a brief stint with the Thompson Twins and appeared on their 1982 album Set and its American counterpart In the Name of Love. The group then downsized, leading Seligman to join Dolby’s new solo group. The bassist appeared on all five of Dolby’s solo albums, including his debut The Golden Age of Wireless, which scored the hit single “She Blinded Me With Science.”

After his time with Dolby, Seligman worked as a session musician for artists ranging from Robyn Hitchcock to Sinead O’Connor to Morrissey. He appeared as part of David Bowie’s backing band at Live Aid and would go on to play on the pop icon’s Labyrinth soundtrack and Absolute Beginners.

More recently, Seligman had been working as a lawyer specializing in human rights as well as being a mental health advocate.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Matthew Seligman.

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