Original Bad Company bassist dead

Boz Burrell, a former member of King Crimson and the founding bassist for Bad Company, died in Spain last week at age 60. Burrell was at his home in Costa Del Sol on Thursday (September 21st) when he had what appeared to be a heart attack and died instantly, according to British music writer Sid Smith. Burrell's last mainstream presence in the U.S. was back in 1999, when he reunited with singer Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke, and guitarist Mick Ralphs for a Bad Company tour and the release of the double CD The Original Bad Company Anthology. Burrell is survived by his wife Kathy. There's been no announcement yet about funeral or memorial plans.

Burrell originally joined King Crimson as a vocalist in 1971, and he soon learned bass from founding member and guitarist Robert Fripp. That lineup of King Crimson was only together for about a year, and, after a short time in another group, Burrell found worldwide success when he teamed with Kirke, Ralphs, and Rodgers to form Bad Company. Rodgers left the group after the Rough Diamonds album in 1982, and Burrell recorded the album Fame And Fortune with Kirke, Ralphs, and singer Brian Howe under the Bad Company banner in 1986, but that was his last involvement with the band until 1999.

The bassist retired from active touring after the 1999 reunion, though he worked in recent years with Scottish blues singer and actor Tam White in the group the Groove Connection. Several videos of the band at a festival in Edinburgh in 2000 have been posted on YouTube by Groove Connection guitarist Neil Warden -- you can see them by doing a search for "neilwarden".

According to a message on the official tamwhite.co.uk, "(Burrell) was at home in Costa Del Sol having a relaxed practice... while Tam White sang and apparently had a heart attack." Warden told Smith, the music journalist, that "Tam was sitting in Boz's apartment singing when Boz picked up a guitar and sat back in his seat, and slumped over and passed away. Efforts were made to revive him before the emergency services arrived but no luck."
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