‘Legendary’ bass player Danny Thompson dies aged 86

The musician worked with the likes of Kate Bush, John Martyn and Roy Orbison over the course of his career

Danny Thompson has died aged 86 (PA)

Danny Thompson, an acoustic bass player and founding member of the British folk-rock band Pentangle, has died aged 86.

The musician worked with the likes of Kate Bush, John Martyn and Roy Orbison over the course of his career.

A statement from his management said the “legendary” acoustic bass player died “peacefully” on September 23 in his home in Rickmansworth.

The statement read: “A musician who was both beloved and admired by everybody he worked with, his body of work is unparalleled in its quality and also in the incredibly varied number of musicians he worked with.”

Born in Teignmouth, Devon, on April 4 1939, Thompson led a long career as a musician, playing his first professional gig at a club in Soho when he was 16.

He spent two years in Penang, Malaysia, after being called for his national service, where he played trombone for the army band.

Danny Thompson (PA)

Thompson returned to the UK in 1963 and went on to play the electric bass with Roy Orbison on a tour that was supported by The Beatles when they were just starting out.

Thompson went on to form the folk-rock band, Pentangle, in 1967 with musicians John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Terry Cox and Bert Jansch.

The group released Basket Of Light in 1969, which reached the top five in the UK albums charts; however, Thompson left the group a few years later, where he continued to play with various artists and featured on the theme tune for the British sci-fi series, Thunderbirds.

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He went on to collaborate with jazz musicians Tubby Hayes and Stan Tracey, as well as work with June Tabor, Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, and The Blind Boys of Alabama.

The statement continued: “Danny was a force of nature. A player who served the song and who enriched the lives of every single person he met.

“He will be sorely missed.”

The musician is survived by his wife Sylvia and his son Dan Junior.