Herbie Flowers, the bass guitarist renowned for his work with music legends such as David Bowie, Elton John, and Lou Reed, has died aged 86. His family confirmed the news on Saturday via a Facebook post.
Flowers began his career as a founding member of the pop group Blue Mink and later joined T. Rex. His bass playing gained widespread recognition, particularly for his contribution to Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side from the Transformer album.
Throughout the 1970s, Flowers worked with some of the biggest names in the UK music scene. His notable contributions include playing bass on Bowie’s Space Oddity, Bryan Ferry’s The Bride Stripped Bare, and Paul McCartney’s Give My Regards to Broad Street. His collaboration with Elton John spanned several early albums.
In addition to his session work, Flowers founded the instrumental rock band Sky, which released seven albums starting in the late 1970s. His influence on the bass guitar extended beyond individual performances, with tributes pouring in following his death. The Bowie estate praised Flowers for his long-standing contributions, describing him as “a beautiful soul and a very funny man.”
