Paul McCartney has paid tribute to his former Wings bandmate Denny Laine, who passed away aged 79.
Laine who co founded Moody Blues, as well as Wings alongside McCartney died yesterday (November 5).
His death was confirmed by his wife Elizabeth Hines, who revealed that Laine had died following a long battle with lung disease.
Denny Laine was renowned for co-writing Wings’ hit ‘Mull of Kintrye’, as well as singing on the Moody Blues’ multi-million selling hit, ‘Go Now’.
“fond memories”
“I am very saddened to hear that my ex-bandmate, Denny Laine, has died,” McCartney wrote.
He continued, “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”.
Paul McCartney also spoke about Laine’s contribution to Wings.
“Denny joined Wings at the outset,” he stated.
The Beatle also added, “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”.
Despite admitting that they “drifted apart” over time, McCartney also revealed that the pair “managed to re-establish our friendship and share memories of our times together” in recent years.
“Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humor and was always ready to help other people,” McCartney concluded.
“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”.
Music World Pays Tributes To Denny Laine
Other musicians also paid tribute to Laine, including Axl Rose, Micky Dolenz, and Stephen Bishop.
See more below.
Very sorry to hear of the passing of Denny Laine. Wings has always (on the daily) been a big part of my life. RIP
— Axl Rose (@axlrose) December 5, 2023
“Rest in peace, Denny. A friend, a wonderful person, and a great musician. You and your music will be sorely missed.” #dennylaine #ripdennylaine #wings #themoodyblues #dennylaineofficial #dennylaineband pic.twitter.com/7xcyJM11jh
— Micky Dolenz (@TheMickyDolenz1) December 5, 2023
I'm sad to hear about the passing of Denny Laine. He was an incredible talent. Denny’s musical style and songwriting influenced so many. His contributions to The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s band “Wings” will forever be iconic. Denny’s solo stuff is great too. I met him… pic.twitter.com/Y80wfww9YY
— Stephen Bishop (@BishSongs) December 5, 2023
Speaking of Wings, Paul McCartney had previously spoken about his amazement that Guns N’Roses covered the track ‘Live And Let Die’, a Wings hit.
The song was also written for the James Bond film of the same name.
More on this from Nova here.
