Ex-member of The Waterboys went on to start World Party
LONDON — Karl Wallinger, the multiinstrumentalist and solo force behind the band World Party and former member of The Waterboys, has died.
Mr. Wallinger, 66, passed away March 10, his publicist said. No cause of death was announced.
Mr. 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, playing and singing backup vocals on their most commercially successful song, “The Whole of the Moon.”
Waterboys founder Mike Scott called him “one of the finest musicians I’ve ever known” in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Travel on well my old friend,” he said.
Creative differences with Scott led Mr. Wallinger to go his own way in 1985 to start World Party, where he created a sound infused with influences of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Sly Stone.
World Party was better received critically than commercially and despite landing several tunes on the pop music charts, it was more embraced by alternative radio.
“Ship of Fools” reached No. 5 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart in the U.S. in 1987. “Way Down Now” went to No. 1 on the Billboard alternative chart in the U.S. in 1990. “Is it Like Today” was his biggest hit in the U.K., reaching No. 19 in 1993.
Mr. Wallinger was one of many artists who recorded with Peter Gabriel for his “Big Blue Ball” album. Gabriel said on X that he was shocked and saddened to learn of his death. He said he reached a new level of appreciation for Mr. Wallinger when they worked together on what he said was the most creative and fun week he ever had in the studio.
“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. “He was such a gifted, natural writer and player, it was a tap that he could turn on at will, effortlessly.”