Queen fans have been left heartbroken after the death of bassist Barry Mitchell.
The former Queen musician has died, the band’s official archivist has confirmed.
He was Queen’s second bassist for six months between August 1970 and January 1971.
Mitchell’s influence is said to have continued with the iconic rock band during its rise to fame with Freddie Mercury and Brian May.
He reportedly played the original bass lines for songs like Liar and Son And Daughter.
Greg Brooks, the official archivist for Queen, revealed the news on a Facebook post with a black and white photo of the musician: ‘Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player (circa 1970), Barry Mitchell, has passed away.
‘His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight. He will be greatly missed.’
Tributes have poured in from friends, fans and other musicians.
Gary Taylor wrote on social media: ‘RIP Barry Mitchell, Queen’s second bass player, who sadly passed away on August 17th.
‘He was a great guy, and a friend, and we had some very interesting chats over the years on the phone and in person. Here is one of the last photos I took of Barry playing live on stage at the Edinburgh Queen Day in 2018.’
Another friend, Mark Cotterill, said: ‘Farewell to a genuinely lovely man. A pleasure to call him friend. He had time for everyone at the Queen conventions. He had some great stories to tell re his music career. A man who could make any hat look cool. RIP Barry.’
A fan wrote: ‘So very sad. Another piece of living history gone.’
Queen, which formed in London in the late 1960s, played with other bassist before Mitchell joined the outfit for a slew of gigs.
He played with the group for thirteen concerts before his exit in January 1971, with Doug Bogie brought to replace him for two gigs before bassist John Deacon’s addition.
Mitchell went on to play with Crushed Butler, later known as Tiger, a band that has been hailed as ‘Britain’s first proto-punk band’ by biographers.
Mitchell, who was from London, lived in Northampton before his death.
He attended Claremont High School in Harrow in the mid 1960s, according to his social media.
Mitchell is survived by two daughters.