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'Jeff Beck needed a drummer': Robbie Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive dead at 69

'Another sad departure', tweeted Robbie Bachman's brother Randy Bachman to share the news

WINNIPEG, CANADA: Bachman-Turner Overdrive's drummer and co-founder, Robbie Bachman, is dead at the age of 69. Randy Bachman, his brother, and bandmate tweeted to share the tragic news.

He said, “Another sad departure. The pounding beat behind BTO, my little brother Robbie has joined Mum, Dad & brother Gary on the other side." He continued, “Maybe Jeff Beck needs a drummer! He was an integral cog in our rock ‘n’ roll machine and we rocked the world together.”

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Early in the 1970s, in Winnipeg, Canada, Robbie formed the band with Randy, their brother Tim Bachman, and bassist Fred Turner. Their self-titled debut album and follow-up, "Bachman-Turner Overdrive II," were both released in 1973.

Randy eventually left the band in 1977 after their biggest hit, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," which appeared on their third album, "Not Fragile" (1974). Jim Clench replaced the original vocalist, and the group carried on until disbanding in 1980.

After that, in 1983, Randy came back to bring the band back together without Robbie. The only album of their career without Robbie on drums was "Bachman-Turner Overdrive," released in 1984, NME detailed. 

From 1988 to 2005, Robbie rejoined the group. He did not take part in a subsequent reunion in 2009. In 2014, the band gave its final performance before being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Love, Prayers, and condolences are pouring in as fans recall his "Pretty great legacy" while others are saddened over "life being fragile." "Jeff Beck, Robbie Bachman, Lisa Marie Presley … gone. Life is fragile folks," a user shared with a sad emoticon. Before his death, a fan had once pointed out that Robbie Bachman among others was a grossly underrated musician. "Grossly underrated musicians. Randy Bachman, Blair Thornton, Robbie Bachman, and Fred Turner."

Speaking of the band’s success in a 2014 interview with the Toronto Star, Robbie said: “We didn’t tell anybody they were wrong or anything was bad or don’t do this. It was basically, have a good time, fun music.

“Just coming out of the ’70s with the Vietnam War and all the political things going on — in Canada with Trudeau, and Richard Nixon and stuff like that — we just basically had enough of that stuff.”

Internet users pointed out that the past days were "quite bad" for celebrity deaths, "WOW, it's been a bad couple of days for celebrity deaths. Yesterday, Lisa Pressley 54 passed away from a heart attack. Today it was Robbie Knievel 60 of cancer and Robbie Bachman 69, former drummer of BTO and brother to Randy Backman." A few pointed out 2023 was "absolutely zero chill."  "LAWD, Robbie Bachman now, too??? 2023 has absolutely zero chill."