Hal Blaine death: Drummer on The Beach Boys' iconic Pet Sounds album dies, aged 90

As part of the Wrecking Crew, Blaine was featured on some of the most iconic songs of the 1960s and 1970s

(Getty)

Hal Blaine, the drummer and session musician best known for playing on The Beach Boys‘s Pet Sounds album, has died aged 90.

His family confirmed the news in a statement on Facebook, which read: “May he rest forever on 2 and 4. The family appreciates your outpouring of support and prayers that have been extended to Hal from around the world, and respectfully request privacy in this time of great mourning. No further details will be released at this time.”

As part of the Wrecking Crew, an elite group of session players which served as producer Phil Spector’s studio band, Blaine was featured on some of the most iconic songs of the 1960s and 1970s, including “Good Vibrations”, the Ronettes’s ”Be My Baby”, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson”, and Barbara Streisand’s “The Way We Were”.

His contributions largely went unnoticed until the publication of his memoir, Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew, in 1990. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, in 2018, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Blaine moved with his family to California in 1943. He initially played as part of Count Basie’s big band and toured with Patti Page and Tommy Sands before taking up session work.

“I’m so sad, I don’t know what to say,” The Beach Boys’s Brian Wilson tweeted in tribute. “Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can’t put it into words. Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success — he was the greatest drummer ever. We also laughed an awful lot. Love, Brian”

“25 Months ago Hal Blaine and I made music for the last time together at the NAMM Convention,” Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector wrote on Facebook. “Today I regrettably have to say goodbye to Hal, and thank him for the magic he put on all our Ronettes recordings… and so many others throughout his incredible career. Thank you Hal. Love forever, Ronnie xxx”