Denny Laine of the Moody Blues & Wings Dies at 79
Musician Denny Laine passed away after suffering lung damage from interstitial lung disease at the age of 79. Laine was best known for being the frontman of the band Moody Blues and one of the members of Wings with Beatles‘ Paul McCartney.
His wife, Elizabeth Hines, confirmed the sad news with a post that read, “My darling husband passed away peacefully early this morning. I was at his bedside, holding his hand as I played his favorite Christmas songs for him … My world will never be the same.”
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He was born Brian Frederick Hines but took on the stage name Denny Laine in his teens after forming his first band called Denny Laine and the Diplomats. When he was 20 years old, he formed the Moody Blues and rose to fame with their second single “Go Now,” which reached No. 1 on the UK charts and No. 10 in the United States. The band struggled to find the same success with the songs to come and Laine left the band in 1966, with Justin Hayward replacing him. He went on to play with the Electric String Band as well as released some solo tracks. Then, he shot to stardom once again when he formed a band with Paul and Linda McCartney. While several members of the Wings came and went over the years, Laine was the only consistent member with the McCartneys until he left in 1981.
After leaving Wings, Laine focused mainly on a solo career. He continued to tour solo, as recently as this year. His Songs & Stories tour featured acoustic performances of his greatest hit songs and some stories about his career.
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Earlier this year, he also spoke about his decades-long career and shared, “I’m just a normal musician who doesn’t really think about the fame side of it. That always surprises me, the fame side of it … I never really had a big hit, but then people will come up to me and say, ‘I’ve got all of your solo stuff. I know every song you’ve ever written.’ It’s a compliment and it does give you a good feeling. You’ve gotten across to a lot more people than you thought you did.”
He is survived by his wife and five children from previous relationships.
British Invasion
March 2017
This mop-topped issue has the top 25 British Invasion acts and the second British Invasion of the 1970s and '80s.
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