Brian Howe death: Fans pay tribute to Bad Company vocalist, say 'he had one hell of a rock 'n' roll fantasy'
Bad Company frontman Brian Howe died at 66 after a heart attack. The singer, who led the British rock supergroup for eight years, received tributes from fans across the globe.
Bad Company formed in 1973 by Mick Ralphs (Mott the Hoople guitarist) and Paul Rodgers (Free vocalist). After Rodgers left the band to form another supergroup, the Firm, with Jimmy Page, Bad Company recruited Howe in 1986. He performed on four subsequent albums, including their platinum-selling hit 'Holy Water', which released in 1990.
"It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the untimely passing of a loving father, friend and musical icon," said Howe's manager, Paul Easton.
Fans on Twitter shared their love for Howe with some heartfelt messages. "Always loved the 'Here Comes Trouble' album...Rest easy Brian Howe :(" said a fan, while another wrote, "No matter what anyone says BC had some damn GOOD songs during the Brian Howe era." One fan said, "Terrific singer. Underappreciated." Another fan shared, "Bad Company was badass and a way underrated band. This is some sad news..."
One fan wrote, "My first rock concert in 1992 was Bad Company with Brian Howe. Great show!" Other comments included, "He had one hell of a 'Rock n Roll Fantasy'!!" and "Another big loss."
Howe suffered an earlier cardiac arrest in 2017. He said that “It was a bad one, apparently." He added, "I don’t remember anything about it. I was driving. And I was found in my car at a stop sign, unconscious... It took me a long time to recover."
Bad Company was at a low point when Howe joined, having declined from their peak '70s popularity with platinum-selling records such as 'Run With the Pack', 'Straight Shooter', and their eponymously-named debut. Howe returned the band to success with 'Holy Water' after he turned them away from the poppier tones of their tanked LP, 'Fame and Fortune'.
In an interview last year in December, Howe revealed, “I kind of stamped my foot a little bit and said, ‘Guys, this is a rock’n’roll band! We need to toughen things up a little bit. This is a guitar band, you know! This is a bluesy guitar band, and we need to get back on that.’" He added, "And with tremendous resistance, they were finally pushed into it, I guess.”
Howe continued to tour for Bad Company, with performances across the US throughout 2019, until his passing.