Nigel Benjamin

September 12, 1954 – July 31, 2019

North London-born, Southend-raised Benjamin is known primarily as the man who replaced Ian Hunter in Mott (the band) in 1975, following the dissolution of Mott The Hoople. Their two albums, Drive On and Shouting & Pointing, retain cult status to this day, although in typically contrary form the frontman regrets joining them. Years later, asked whether he might do two things differently in relation to his time with the group, he replied: “I would not return their call. And I would not return their call when they called again.”

Four years later, following a spell with English Assassin, he became a bandmate of Nikki Sixx in the eternal Los Angeles hopefuls London, but after around 20 shows on Sunset Strip Sixx left to form Mötley Crüe. Prior to that band finding Vince Neil, there were rumblings of Benjamin joining them, but he was fried with glam-rock. “I’d done a lot of that stuff years earlier, when it was new,” he explained. “I didn’t want to do metal. You must trust those that you form bands with, and I didn’t trust Nikki.”

Morgan Fisher of Mott The Hoople and Mott wrote: “It is known that we had our differences, but we also created some powerful songs together.”

Benjamin was 64 years old. The cause of death is yet to be revealed.