One of the founding members of the bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople has died at the age of 81.
Bad Company announced the death of Mick Ralphs on the band’s official website, CNN reported.
Ralphs last performed at London’s O2 Arena in 2016 and suffered a stroke days later, leaving him bedridden.
No cause of death was provided.
He died at a Henley-on-Thames care center in England on June 23, The Washington Post reported.
“Our Mick has passed, my heart just hit the ground,” Bad Company bandmate Paul Rodgers said, according to CNN. “He has left us with exceptional songs and memories. He was my friend, my songwriting partner, an amazing and versatile guitarist who had the greatest sense of humour.”
Ralphs wrote “Ready for Love” for the previous band that he helped found - Mott the Hoople, but reworked it for Band Company’s debut in 1974.
He also wrote “Can’t Get Enough,” their biggest hit, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and co-wrote the hit “Feel Like Makin’ Love” with Rodgers, CNN reported.
“We just sang real simple songs in a simple way that got to people,” Ralphs told the Montreal Gazette, according to the Post. “We didn’t try to tart them up with orchestral arrangements and all the stuff. We were all blues fanatics. We like R&B and blues and simple, gut-feeling music.”
The band will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
Ralphs leaves behind “the love of his life” Susie Chavasse, two children, three step-children and his two bandmates, the group said.
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