RIP Gary Moore

Former Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore dies

Northern Irish musician Gary Moore performs at the 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival July 7, 2008.
Credit: Reuters/Valentin Flauraud
LONDON | Sun Feb 6, 2011 5:31pm EST

LONDON (Reuters) - Gary Moore, former star of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, has died in Spain. The Belfast-born guitarist was 58.

"It is with deep sorrow and regret that we have to announce that Gary Moore passed away while on holiday in Spain last night," a message on his official website said on Sunday.

"Our thoughts are with his children, family and friends at this sad time."

According to the Irish Times website, Moore was found dead in his hotel room in Estepona in the early hours of Sunday morning. A postmortem was due to be carried out in the nearby city of Malaga, the newspaper added.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office in London said: "We are aware (of Moore's death), and we stand ready to provide consular assistance. We are very sorry for his family's loss."

Moore was just 16 years old when he moved from Belfast to Dublin in 1969 to join Skid Row, which featured Phil Lynott as lead singer.

Moore was later brought into Thin Lizzy, best known for hit songs like "Whiskey in the Jar" and "The Boys Are Back in Town."

He replaced the departing Eric Bell, who told the BBC: "I still can't believe it. He was so robust, he wasn't a rock casualty, he was a healthy guy. He was a superb player and a dedicated musician."

As well as playing with Thin Lizzy for several periods, Moore worked separately with Lynott, who died in 1986 from drug-related complications.

Moore also worked with a number of top artists, including George Harrison.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Niels (Mod) on February 7, 2011 at 4:12am

Very sad. 58 years is no age. Gary Moore was a very talented guitarist. Weird, just around the time of his death, I was thinking about what to put in a future "Flashback", and was strongly considering 1985, and among others, his album "Run for cover".

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on February 7, 2011 at 8:07am

Wow, what a sad surprise. RIP Gary.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jon on February 7, 2011 at 5:08pm

This is very, very sad and extremely shocking. RIP Gary.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Dave on February 7, 2011 at 7:07pm

I was shocked when I first heard this. He was only 5 years older than me. I always thought that he would turn into one of those aging blues artists...so sad that it will not be so.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on February 10, 2011 at 9:35am

from melodicrock.com

GARY MOORE 1952-2011:
The family of Gary Moore have issued this statement: "On Sunday 6th February 2011 musician Gary Moore died in his sleep of a heart attack while on holiday in Spain.
Acknowledged as one of the finest guitarists that the British Isles has ever produced; Gary Moore's career dated back to the sixties. Moore graced the line-ups of several notable rock bands including Thin Lizzy, Collosseum II and Skid Row, to name but three, and to this year maintained a highly successful solo career. Gary is survived by four children; daughters Saoirse and Lily and sons Jack and Gus. His family take great comfort in the fact he died of natural causes [note: suspected heart attack] and was looking forward to his holiday prior to recording a new album. Gary was thrilled by new guitars he had just bought and was planning to play shows throughout the world, later this year.
His family has requested that their privacy is respected during this sad time and no further comment will be made. They would very much like to express their heartfelt thanks for the show of support and all the kind messages from friends and fans alike, the world over."