Steve Priest, founding bassist and singer for “Ballroom Blitz” glam rock band Sweet, died Thursday at the age of 72.
The group’s guitarist Andy Scott announced the news on Facebook, but he did not reveal the cause of Priest’s death.
He wrote: “I am in pieces right now. Steve Priest has passed away.
“His wife Maureen and I have kept in contact and though his health was failing I never envisaged this moment. Never.
“My thoughts are with his family.”
The Sweet found success in the 1970s and had hits such as Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz and Fox On The Run.
Scott added that the late musician was “the best bass player I ever played with”.
He said: “The noise we made as a band was so powerful.
“From that moment in the summer of 1970 when we set off on our musical odyssey the world opened up and the roller coaster ride started.”
The Sweet were key movers in the glam rock era, achieving a total of 13 Top 20 hits in the 1970s.
Priest joined the group, then known as the Sweetshop, in the late 60s. Stardom beckoned when they signed to RCA worldwide and had their first hit with Funny Funny in 1971.
That was followed by hits such as Little Willy and Wig-Wam Bam before Block Buster! became their first and only UK number one.
That was followed by three consecutive number two hits with Hell Raiser (1973), The Ballroom Blitz (1973) and Teenage Rampage (1974).
