Bay City Rollers guitarist Alan Longmuir dies aged 70

Bay City Rollers member Alan Longmuir sadly passed away on Monday morning following a short battle with an illness he contracted while in Mexico.

Three weeks ago the 70-year-old was flown home to Scotland after falling ill in South America and at 6am on Monday, surrounded by family, he died at the Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert, the BBC reported.

The Scottish bass guitarist was made famous for his part in the British pop band, which sprung to fame in the 1970s with songs including ‘Bye Bye Baby’, ‘Shang-a-Lang’ and ‘Saturday Night’ which made its way to number one in 1976. Together with Derek Longmuir, Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood, Eric Faulkner and Les McKeown, they became household names, selling an estimated 120 million records.

Feeling the pressure of the music industry, Longmuir stepped down from his position in the band in 1976 as the group’s fame continued to grow with replacements filling in for a couple of years until the band’s split in 1978.

Fellow band members paid tribute to Longmuir via Twitter following his passing, sending their condolences to his family.

McKeown, who has battled his own health issues in the past, dubbed his old friend “the original Bay City Roller”.

Read more: ‘I hit rock bottom ‘: Bay City Rollers star’s ‘wild’ gay affairs and addiction

pic.twitter.com/0qfmIyyVeI

— Les McKeown (@LesMcKeownUK) July 2, 2018

While friend and biographer Liam Rudden, who broke the news of Longmuir’s, posted a heart felt message, saying how lucky he was to have known the iconic musician.

Statement from Eileen and @alanlongmuirbcr’s family… #BayCityRollers pic.twitter.com/KNGVSIgMbu

— Líam Rudden 🧢 (@LiamRudden) July 2, 2018

“We are devastated to share the news that Alan has passed away peacefully surrounded by family,” he wrote.

“He was an extraordinary man with an extraordinary heart. He brought so much love and kindness to everyone he met, and he leaves a huge hole in our family.

“He would humbly say he was ‘just a plumber from Edinburgh who got lucky’. However, we are the lucky ones; the ones that were lucky enough to have Alan as part of our lives.

“We’d like to thank everyone for the love and support that they have provided so far. We would now like to make a firm request to allow us to mourn Alan’s passing in private.”

Fans of the Scottish musician also left their condolences for Longmuir’s family.

“RIP dear Alan. My first childhood crush. Love you and we will miss you,” one person wrote.

“My heartfelt condolences to Eileen, Alan’s family, the band and to you Liam his long time friend. RIP Alan thankyou for the music,” another commented.

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