Dale ‘Buffin’ Griffin, the founding drummer for the ‘70s rock group Mott The Hoople, has died. He was 67 years old.
Peter Purnell of Angel Air Records told The BBC that Griffin died in his sleep Sunday. Griffin had been ill for several years and was not able to take part in the group’s 40th anniversary reunion in 2009.
“All he ever wanted was for his beloved Mott The Hoople to reform and it was his determination that achieved that very feat in 2009 but sadly by then he was too ill to perform at the five sold-out dates - though he did join the band for encores,” Purnell told the BBC.
Mott The Hoople formed in the late 1960s as Silence, but producer Guy Stevens changed their name, which was the title for a Willard Manus novel. They nearly broke up in 1972 because their music was not selling, but eventually David Bowie - who was on the edge of superstardom himself - convinced the group to stay together.
Bowie, who died on Jan. 10 offered them the song “All The Young Dudes,” which was initially part of the Ziggy Stardust story. Mott The Hoople’s recording of the track became a hit single in both the U.K. and the U.S. they scored a couple of hits after that, but officially broke up in 1980.
Their 2009 reunion did feature all the members, but Griffin was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and could not perform, notes Rolling Stone.
Griffin also worked as a producer, and worked for the BBC from 1981 to 1994, even overseeing a Nirvana session.