Former Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty has died, aged 76.
Pete Agnew, who is the only original Nazareth member still touring with the band, shared the news of his friends passing on Facebook. "Dan died at 12:40 today," Agnew wrote.
"This is the saddest announcement I ever had to make. Maryann and the family have lost a wonderful loving husband and father, I have lost my best friend, and the world has lost one of the greatest singers who ever lived. Too upset to say anything more at this time."
McCafferty co-founded Nazareth in 1968 and stayed with the group until 2013 but he was forced to retire due to health issues. He was then replaced by Linton Osborne, and later, Carl Sentance.
The singer retired from touring in August 2013 due to ill health. His final album with the band, Rock'n'Roll Telephone, was released in June 2014.
Bowing out of the band, McCafferty told Classic Rock, "I could make another record, but getting up to do an hour and three-quarters, and get people to pay money to come and see me – I can’t do that."
"If you can't do the job you shouldn't be there," he explained elsewhere. "Nazareth's too big for that."
Pete Agnew told Classic Rock: "It was Dan himself who said he wanted the band to continue because it’s been his whole life."
Agnew and McCafferty's former bandmate Manny Charlton passed away in July.
Ricky Warwick, frontman of Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy, was one of the first to pay tribute to the singer. "Very sad to hear of the passing of Nazareth’s Dan McCafferty today," Warwick tweeted.
"I was honoured to be his company on the Rock Meets Classic Tour in 2016. My thoughts and condolences to his family and close friends."
More to come on this breaking story.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here .
