British guitarist Denny Laine, a founding member of the band "Moody Blues" in the 1960s and part of "Wings" with Paul and Linda McCartney after the breakup of "The Beatles," has passed away at the age of 79, according to his wife Elizabeth Hines. Hines announced his death via her husband’s Instagram account, citing that he died from "severe lung disease." She shared a photo of herself with her husband and said, "I was by his bedside, holding his hand and playing his favorite Christmas songs that he sang in the final weeks (...) I continued to play him Christmas songs while he was in the intensive care unit last week on a ventilator."
Paul McCartney expressed "great sadness" over the death of his former bandmate from Wings, which he formed in 1971 with his wife Linda McCartney after the famous Beatles band split in 1970. McCartney paid tribute to Laine, describing him as "an extraordinary singer and guitarist," and mentioned the song "Mull Of Kintyre," for which they co-wrote the lyrics. The 81-year-old British singer wrote: "We had drifted apart for a while, but our communication came back in the last few years."
"Wings" had its most famous album with "Band on the Run" and continued until 1981. Denny Laine was born in October 1944 in Birmingham, England, and learned to play guitar at a young age, influenced by Chuck Berry and Django Reinhardt. He founded "Moody Blues" in 1964 with pianist Mike Pinder. This rock band remains officially active despite the death of most of its original members. McCartney reminisced on Instagram about "amazing memories during the time he spent with Denny while The Beatles were touring with Moody Blues." Laine left "Moody Blues" in 1965 after the release of their first album.
