“We are truly devastated to have to announce that Status Quo guitarist Rick Parfitt has passed away at lunchtime today,” the band wrote on its Facebook page. “He died in hospital in Marbella, Spain as a result of a severe infection, having been admitted to hospital on Thursday evening following complications to a shoulder injury incurred by a previous fall.”

 

Parfitt had a recent history of health problems. In 2014, the final six dates on STATUS QUO’s European tour were canceled when he suffered a heart attack, his second, on his tour bus, which caused him to give up smoking and drinking. This past summer, he had another heart attack, during which he had to be brought back to life, and he was forced to stop touring with the group. He had planned on spending next year writing his autobiography and working on a solo record.
 

Born Oct. 12, 1948 in Woking, Surrey, England, Parfitt met guitarist Frances Rossi and bassist Alan Lancaster, who were in the Spectres, in 1964. He officially joined in 1967, just in time for them to go through a few name changes before settling on STATUS QUO, with keyboardist Roy Lynes and drummer John Coghlan rounding out the lineup.

Although primarily known in the U.S. for their 1968 hit 'Pictures of Matchstick Men,' they had dozens of hits in the U.K., with the last coming in 2010. Despite numerous lineup changes, Rossi and Parfitt remained constant, with Lancaster and Coghlan returning for a pair of tours in 2013 and 2014. The last date they played together was released in 2014 as The Frantic Four’s Final Fling: Live at the Dublin 02 Arena.

He is survived by his wife Lyndsay and four children, Rick Jr., Harry, and twins Tommy and Lily. Parfitt and Rossi were awarded the OBE in 2010 for their contributions to British culture.