Rick Parfitt, best known for being the guitarist in legendary rock band Status Quo, has died at the age of 68.
Parfitt died in hospital in Marbella following a severe infection. The guitarist had been admitted to hospital on Thursday due to complications to a shoulder injury.
The news was confirmed by his manager Simon Porter, who released a statement on behalf of the Parfitt family on the official Status Quo Facebook page.
The statement reads:
“We are truly devastated to have to announce that Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt has passed away at lunchtime today.
“He died in hospital in Marbella, Spain as a result of a severe infection, having been admitted to hospital on Thursday evening following complications to a shoulder injury incurred by a previous fall.
“This tragic news comes at a time when Rick was hugely looking forward to launching a solo career with an album and autobiography planned for 2017 following his departure from Status Quo’s touring activities on medical advice.
“He will be sorely missed by his family, friends, fellow band members, management, crew and his dedicated legion of fans from throughout the world, gained through 50 years of monumental success with Status Quo.
“Rick is survived by his wife Lyndsay, their twins Tommy and Lily and Rick’s adult children Rick Jnr and Harry.
“No further comment will be made at this time and Rick’s family, and the band, ask for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time.”
Parfitt’s career with Status Quo spanned almost 50 years, however, the guitarist suffered from several health issues during his time in the band. Most recently, he was forced to pull out of the band’s autumn tour earlier this year after suffering from a heart attack in June, in which he’d “died” for several minutes.
The iconic guitarist will be remembered as one of the two definitive faces of Status Quo, alongside Francis Rossi. During his time in the band, Parfitt was responsible for penning some of their greatest hits, including ‘Whatever You Want’. The band sold over 128 million albums globally and toured the world throughout the years. Parfitt was awarded with an OBE in the New Years Honours List 2010 for his services to music.
Our thoughts are with Rick Parfitt’s family, friends and fans at this tragic time.
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