Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland dies at 77
Joey Molland, guitarist for the Welsh rock outfit Badfinger, has died aged 77, as confirmed on the band’s social media pages. A statement reads: “Joey (Joseph Charles) Molland passed away last night, surrounded by [his partner] Mary, his two sons, and other family members at 11:39pm CST.”
Although no cause of death has been announced, Molland had been fighting ill health since November 2024, and was hospitalised during that time. In January, his partner Mary launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medical treatment.
She wrote: “I hesitated to start a GoFundMe when Joey became ill in November, hoping that he would improve or recover. Unfortunately, he has been in the hospital now for 46 days. I will try to be candid about Joey’s condition without getting too specific in order to protect his privacy. I will say that this has been a complicated, unpredictable journey.”
She explained that although Molland was “vaguely ill” beforehand, in December 2024 he developed a bacterial infection due to his diabetes, which then caused septicemia and multiple organ damage. Molland underwent “several” surgeries and procedures. In January he was “re-diagnosed” with pneumonia leading to him being “in and out of consciousness”.
In her last update in early February 2025, Mary wrote: “Joey is still going through very complicated medical issues and they change daily. He is on day 61 here.”
I know I need to do an update, and I wish I could always do a super positive update, but things don’t always work that…
Posted by Mary Joyce on Sunday, February 2, 2025
Molland joined Badfinger in 1969, eight years after the group’s formation and shortly after becoming the first band to sign to The Beatles’ Apple label. His first album with them was 1970’s No Dice, which included the tracks No Matter What and Without You, two of Badfinger’s most well-known hits. He also played on Straight Up, Ass, Badfinger, and Wish You Were Here before the band disbanded in 1975 following Pete Ham’s suicide.
His friend and fellow musician Paul Davie wrote from the Badfinger Facebook page, “The day we never wanted to see has arrived…Needless to say, although I knew the situation was bad, it was still a shock to the system. I’m sure if you’re reading this for the first time, it’s a shock to yours, as well. Long Live Badfinger. Thank you, Joey… for keeping the band’s music alive for so long and for being a friend to us all.”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
