Denny Laine, the lead singer of the Moody Blues and a guitarist with Sir Paul McCartney’s band Wings, has died at the age of 79.
His wife Elizabeth Hines confirmed he’d died after a long battle with lung disease.
‘I was at his side, holding his hand as I played his favourite Christmas songs for him,’ she said in a statement.
While his wife said she had expected him to recover from lung disease, the condition got progressively worse.
‘He fought everyday. He was so strong and brave, never complained,’ she added.
‘All he wanted was to be home with me and his pet kitty, Charley, playing his gypsy guitar.’
After thanking fans for their support, Elizabeth asked for ‘the time and privacy’ the family would need ‘as we grieve for our loss’.
Sir Paul also paid tribute in a statement, calling Laine ‘an outstanding vocalist and guitar player’.
The 81-year-old said on Instagram alongside a picture of him and Laine playing together in Wings: ‘I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has died.
‘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 Seventies.’
Sir Paul went on to say: ‘We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.
‘Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humour 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. Love, Paul.’
Among his other achievements, Laine sang on the Moody Blues’ multi-million selling Go Now and co-wrote the Wings hit song Mull of Kintyre.
Born Brian Hines, he grew up in Birmingham and was inspired to play guitar by jazz legend Django Reinhardt.
In the 1960s, he formed a band called Denny and the Dilpomats, which featured future Wizzard singer Roy Wood.
After they dissolved, he created The Moody Blues, who scored a number one hit with Go Now.
While the group had a couple more minor hits, he left in 1967 and was replaced by Justin Hayward, who would lead the Moodies to become one of the biggest groups of the era.
Over the next few years he formed several groups, including the Electric String Band and Balls, however it was in 1971 when he joined Wings alongside Paul and Linda McCartney.
He remained with the group for 10 years, with the band having a series of smash albums and singles throughout the 1970s, including Band on the Run and Venus and Mars, and songs like Jet, My Love and Mull of Kintyre, one of the biggest singles in British history, which Laine co-wrote.
After several line up changes, the band eventually split for good in 1981 after John Lennon’s death.
In 2018, Laine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
Earlier this year Laine announced that he was working on a new album, although its status remains unclear.
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