Barry Mitchell, Queen’s second bassist, has died.
The group’s official archivist, Greg Brooks, announced Mitchell’s passing in a Facebook post.
“Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player, Barry Mitchell, has passed away,” he wrote alongside a throwback black-and-white photo of Mitchell. “His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight. He will be greatly missed.”
Mitchell’s age and cause of death have not been publicly disclosed.
Mitchell replaced Queen’s original bassist Mike Grose in 1970, but his time with the band was short-lived. He only performed 13 gigs alongside legendary members Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor between August 1970 and January 1971.
After his departure, the trio performed with Doug Bogie for two gigs before John Deacon joined them in February 1971, completing the We Will Rock You band’s most famous line-up.
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2018, Mitchell was asked why he left the now-legendary group, and he initially joked that he was “fired because they thought I was useless”.
He then conceded that he “wasn’t enthusiastic enough about their music” during those early years.
“This didn’t necessarily go in the direction I wanted to go,” he explained. “At the time, they weren’t at all the cult band you all know. I didn’t see the potential. It’s crazy to say this now but it’s the truth.”
Before Queen, Mitchell played in the band Crushed Butler, later named Tiger.
He is survived by two daughters, according to his Facebook page.
