The Pogues’ bassist Darryl Hunt dies aged 72
The Pogues’ bass player Darryl Hunt has died aged 72.
The punk group said on Twitter they were “saddened beyond words” to share that Hunt had died on Monday afternoon in London.
Posting a black-and-white photo of Hunt holding a guitar case, they paid tribute by quoting the lyrics of their song Love You Till the End, which was written by Hunt. They quoted: “I know you want to hear me catch my breath / I love you till the end.”
The Pogues’ frontman, Shane MacGowan, described Hunt as a “great friend and a great bass player” in his own tribute to his late bandmate. “I am very very sorry that Darryl has passed on, he was a really nice guy and a great friend and a great bass player,” MacGowan wrote on Twitter. “We will all miss him.”
The musician and songwriter was born in Hampshire on 4 May 1950. Before he began playing bass in the Pogues in 1986, he was part of the pub rock band Plummet Airlines and the Favourites.
He was involved in the Celticinspired band’s subsequent work including their 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God which featured the Christmas hit Fairytale of New York.
Hunt featured in their material until their last album, Pogue Mahone, in 1996. He has writing credits on a number of their songs.
Spider Stacy, his bandmate, paid tribute to Hunt on Twitter, writing: “This is wretched. See you around the way, Daz. ‘It’s in the fridge’ #TrickyTrees.”
The band consisted of MacGowan, Jem Finer, James Fearnley, Andrew Ranken, Terry Woods, Hunt, Stacy and other musicians throughout the years.