Life In Brief

Karl Wallinger, the force behind the band World Party and a former member of The Waterboys, has died aged 66. No cause of death was announced.

Wallinger had worked as musical director for a production of The

Rocky Horror Show in London’s

West End when he was recruited on keyboards for The Waterboys in 1983. He played synthesiser and sang back-up vocals on their most commercially successful song,

“The Whole of the Moon”.

The Waterboys’ founder, Mike Scott, called him “one of the finest musicians I’ve ever known,” adding: “Travel on well my old friend.”

Creative differences with Scott led Wallinger to go his own way in 1985 to start World Party, creating a sound infused with influences of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Sly Stone. World Party’s “Ship of Fools” reached No 5 in the mainstream US rock chart in 1987 and “Way Down Now” went to No 1 on the Billboard alternative chart in 1990.

“Is it Like Today?” was the group’s biggest chart success in the UK, reaching No 19 in 1993. Wallinger’s song “She’s The One” became a No 1 hit for Robbie Williams in 1999.

Wallinger worked on Sinéad O’Connor’s debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. She lent her vocals to his second album, Goodbye

Jumbo, which was nominated for a Grammy award for best alternative music performance.

Wallinger was one of many artists who recorded with Peter Gabriel for his Big Blue Ball album. “Karl was overflowing with wonderful musical ideas that blew us all away, all delivered with terrible jokes that had us laughing uncontrollably all day and night,” Gabriel said.

Wallinger grew up in Prestatyn, north Wales, where as a teenager he played in PAX, a punk band with Nigel Twist and Dave Sharp, who would go on to form The Alarm.

Twist recalled that they would hammer out tunes in the loft of Wallinger’s home. “His songs never fail to reach deep inside and touch your soul,” Twist said. “No matter how you feel, his music would fill you with joy and hope and above all, love, for a better world.”

In 2001, Wallinger had a brain aneurysm and spent years learning how to speak again and play instruments. He returned to touring five years later but did not release any more albums.

Wallinger said that Williams’s hit cover of “She’s The One” had rescued him financially after his health setback. “It was lucky for me that he did it, because he kept us all in biscuits,” the musician said. “Everything would have changed [otherwise]; I’d have had to have sold the kids.”

Wallinger is survived by his wife Suzie Zamit, son Louis Wallinger, daughter Nancy Zamit and two grandchildren.

Born 19 October 1957 Died 10 March 2024