Denny Laine, a early member of The Moody Blues and the longest serving member of Wings alongside Paul and Linda McCartney has died at the age of 79.
Laine had been ill for most of this year and his wife Elizabeth Hines posted on Instagram that the cause was Interstitial Lung Disease. A tribute concert to help pay for Laine’s medical bills was held at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California on November 27th.
Denny Laine was born in Tyseley, England on October 29th, 1944. He started his music career fronting Denny Laine and the Diplomats, which also included Bev Bevan, future drummer of Electric Light Orchestra.
He left the group in 1964 and was approached by Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder to form a new band, the M&B 5, which eventually was changed to the Moody Blues. Laine sang lead on the group's first big hit, "Go Now," but quit in 1966.
After a series of relatively unsuccessful post-Moody Blues bands, Paul McCartney approached him in 1971 to join his post-Beatles band Wings. Laine remained with Paul and Linda McCartney in the band for the next decade. He wrote several songs with Paul and had some of his own songs included on various Wings albums. During his time with band Laine played on six number-one singles and four number-one albums.
After Wings split in 1981, Laine released a series of solo albums and played on two McCartney solo albums, Tug of War and Pipes of Peace.
In 2018 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame as a member of The Moody Blues.
His passing comes on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. release of what was by far McCartney and Wings's most successful album, Band on the Run, which has sold over seven-million copies to date.
Paul McCartney has commented on the passing of his Wings bandmate Denny Laine.
McCartney wrote on Instagram, "I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when The Beatles toured with The Moody Blues. Our two bands had a lot of respect for each other and a lot of fun together. Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player. His most famous performance is probably ‘Go Now,’ an old Bessie Banks song which he would sing brilliantly."
"He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre,’ which was a big hit in the '70s. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to re-establish our friendship and share memories of our times together."
"Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humor and was always ready to help other people. He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends. I send my condolences and best wishes to his wife, Elizabeth and family."
"Peace and love Denny. It was a pleasure to know you. We are all going to miss you."
Other musicians also commented on Laine's passing at the age of 79.
Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses, who had a rock hit with a cover of Wings "Live and Let Die," wrote, "Very sorry to hear of the passing of Denny Laine. Wings has always (on the daily) been a big part of my life."
Micky Dolenz, who sang at the Laine benefit last month, wrote, "Rest in peace, Denny. A friend, a wonderful person and a great musician. You and your music will be sorely missed."
Christopher Cross wrote, "I loved working with him on the Beatles tribute shows we performed together. He was an icon and a sweet man. Denny will be missed."