Spinal Tap drummer Ric Parnell has died, aged 70
nme.comThis Is Spinal Tap, has died at the age of 70.Harry Shearer, who also starred in the 1984 mock documentary on the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap, announced the news via Twitter before it was confirmed by Yahoo News.
No cause of death has been reported at this time.Ric Parnell, our drummer in This is Spinal Tap, passed away today. No one ever rocked harder.— Harry Shearer (@theharryshearer) May 2, 2022Fronted by actor-musicians Michael McKean (as David St.
Hubbins), Christopher Guest (as Nigel Tufnel) and Shearer (as Derek Smalls), Spinal Tap was able to blur the line between fact and fiction thanks to their genuine musical ability.In the film, Parnell’s character spontaneously combusts at the end, following a running gag that all of the group’s previously drummers have died the same way.
The musician also performed on the movie’s soundtrack, as well as a follow-up album ‘Break Like The Wind’ which was released in 1992.Born in London to jazz drummer and bandleader Jack Parnell, Ric played in the bands Atomic Rooster and Horse during the early 1970s.
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