(London) Bassist Herbie Flowers, who played with David Bowie, Elton John, Lou Reed and other music legends during a decades-long career, has died aged 86.
The musician’s family confirmed his death on Facebook on Saturday.
Flowers was a founding member of the pop group Blue Mink, who later joined the rock group T Rex. He won acclaim for his work with many of the biggest names in British music in the 1970s, giving Walk On The Wild Side by Reed, from the album Transform from 1972, its recognizable twin bass line.
He also played bass for the album Space Oddity by Bowie, The Bride Stripped Bare by Bryan Ferry and Give My Regards To Broad Street by Paul McCartney. He also participated in two of Elton John’s early 1970s albums, among others.
In a tribute, Bowie’s successors said that “his work with Bowie and his associates over the years is too extensive to list here.”
“In addition to his incredible musical talent over many decades, he was a beautiful soul and a very funny man. He will be greatly missed,” they said.
Tim Burgess, lead singer of the band The Charlatans, said on social network X that Flowers “made the greats sound great.”
Flowers also founded the instrumental rock band Sky in the late 1970s, with which he released seven albums.