Phil Spalding, who played bass for Right Said Fred and a host of other artists, died Tuesday of undisclosed causes, his family has announced. He was 65 years old.
The British musician began his career in 1980 as a member of Toyah before moving on to GTR — performing alongside Yes’ Steve Howe — in 1985. In 1991, Spalding scored his biggest hit as member of Right Said Fred, performing on the track, “I’m Too Sexy.” He also performed on albums by such artists as Ray Charles, Elton John, Queen’s Roger Taylor, Mick Jagger, Joe Cocker and Kylie Minogue. More recently, he performed with The Who at a handful of intimate shows in 2020.
“I’m sad to hear of the death of Phil Spalding,” former Genesis and GTR guitarist Steve Hackett tweeted on Tuesday. “He was a lovely guy and a great bass player in GTR.”