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Boz Burrell, bassist for Bad Company and King Crimson. Here's a press release from SwanSong Records:

NEW YORK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Sep 22, 2006 -- It is with deep regret and profound sorrow that we announce the death of our dear friend and colleague Raymond "Boz" Burrell, one of the original members and bass player in Bad Company. Boz died on September 21, 2006 at his residence in Spain. We express our gratitude to Boz for his important contribution to Swan Song and to the music of his generation. We extend our sincere condolences to his wife and family.

Boz was an outstanding bassist .Butter smooth fretless work . This is quite a shocker . I wonder what took him ?

I believe that there was a profile of B.B. in Bass Player sometime within the last year or so that reported him as having AIDS.

He'll be fondly remembered by many of us as a very talented, very tasteful bassist.

Alvaro, I believe it is Andy Fraser who has AIDS. If BB had died of AIDS as well wouldnt that have been a rotten coincidence?

Andy Fraser has AIDS? That is bad new indeed. His playing with Free had quite an influence on me as a young bass player.

Sorry to hear that. Boz was an excellent fretless player. He was quite underrated IMHO.

Aw, poor Boz. "Islands" was one of my favorite King Crimson records . . . "Formentera Lady" is so gorgeous. RIP Boz.

Alvaro, I believe it is Andy Fraser who has AIDS. If BB had died of AIDS as well wouldnt that have been a rotten coincidence?

Why I would have confused the name Boz Burrell with the name Andy Fraser is beyond me, but I went back and checked my old issues of BP, and you are correct. My apologies.

Still stand on the 'very talented, very tasteful' part of my post though.

A really great vocalist, as well..."Formentera Lady" is superb, and his voice on "The Letter" ("Impaled on nails of ice...") was unbelievable...

I was kind of chagrined when he went from Crimson to Bad Company, but he gave us his best when he had the opportunity, and after all, a 'sideman' has to take the gigs that will pay the bills.

Cheers, Boz...

Alvaro, No problem. I still arent sure as to how Boz died. I read somewhere that there was a bottle of whisky and some pills involved. I arent ready to believe that though, that seemed like a very low prankish type of flippant remark on another forum I stumbled upon. I dont know if it has been announced..anybody?

> I was kind of chagrined when he went from Crimson >to Bad Company,

He apparently thought King Crimson was a 'joke', and he said something along the lines that he took the Crimson gig strictly for the money. The quote is in the booklet that comes with one of the Crimson box sets.

He also played in a band with Ritchie Blackmore simply called BOZ, in 67 or 68. They only recorded one single.

I find it very funny that he went from King Crimson to Bad Company as a bassist, yet he was *taught* how to play bass by Robert Fripp.

Ya Fripp hired him as a vocalist and taught him to play bass ... he turned into a good bassist ...