Died On This Date (January 4, 1986) Phil Lynott / Thin Lizzy
themusicsover Phil Lynott
August 20, 1949 – January 4, 1986
Phil Lynott was the lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter for the popular ’70s Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy. Formed in 1969, the band gained international fame during the mid ’70s with such rock hits as “The Boys are Back in Town,” “Jailbreak,” and “Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in its Spotlight).” Their 1978 live album, Live and Dangerous sits alongside Frampton Comes Alive and Kiss Alive as one of the definitive albums of its generation and one of the best live rock albums of all time. Lynott released a handful of solo albums beginning in 1980, the best of which being Solo in Soho. Thin Lizzy called it quits in 1984. On Christmas Day, 1985, Lynott collapsed in his home, and was brought to an area hospital where it was discovered he was suffering from a kidney and liver infection, a result of his drug and alcohol abuse. He died while still in the hospital’s intensive care unit on two weeks later as a result of heart failure and pneumonia. Phil Lynott was 36 when he passed away on January 4, 1986.
What You Should Own
Mick Karn is perhaps best remembered as the bassist for British art-rock band, Japan during the late ’70s and early ’80s. The band, which also featured David Sylvian, Richard Barbieri, Steve Jansen and Rob Dean where one of the foundations on which the “New Romantic” movement was built – even though they fought to distance themselves from it. They fancied themselves more of the David Bowie, New York Dolls and T. Rex ilk. Albums like Gentlemen Take Polaroids and Tin Drum quickly established them as leaders of the alternative rock heap around the world. After the band broke up in 1982, Karn released several solo albums while collaborating with the likes of Midge Ure, Peter Murphy, Joan Armatrading, Gary Numan, and Kate Bush. He continued to record as recently as 2009. On January 4, 2011, Mick Karn died of a cancer that he had been battling for the previous several months. He was 52.
Gerry Rafferty was a Scottish singer-songwriter who scored several hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, most notably, “Baker Street” and “Right Down The Line.” Launching his career as a busker in London’s Underground during the late ’60s, Rafferty soon teamed up with future actor, Billy Connolly in a band called the Humblebums. In 1972, he helped form Stealers Wheel who had a hit with “Stuck In The Middle With You.” Six years later he released City To City which included the smash hit “Baker Street,” with one of the most instantly recognizable openings in pop music history. The album will go down in history as the one that knocked the groundbreaking juggernaut, Saturday Night Fever soundtrack out of the #1 slot in America. He released several more albums over the course of the next two decades, but none came close to the success of City To City. In August of 2008, Rafferty reportedly disappeared from a hospital where he was being treated for chronic liver problems, leaving all of his possessions behind. He resurfaced in the media in February 2009, apparently living in hiding and being cared for by a close friend. Other reports indicated however, that he was suffering from alcoholism but otherwise doing fine. What IS known is that he was still making music, having released Life Goes On in August of 2009. In November of 2010, Rafferty was taken to a hospital where he was placed on life support due to liver failure. He was later taken off support and subsequently passed away on January 4, 2011. He was 63.