Bassist Who Played With Frampton, Bowie And Jagger Dies At 71

@HumbleFrampton via Twitter

You may not know his name, but you’ve probably heard his music. John Regan was a bass player who played alongside musicians including Peter Frampton, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger.

Regan died on Friday, April 7, 2023, at the age of 71. His cause of death is not yet known, but that isn’t stopping fellow musicians from posting tributes to their late friend.

One day after his death, Frampton posted a tribute to Regan on Twitter. He posted a picture of the two of them performing together along with a series of tweets in which he called Regan “one of my closest buddies.” He added that Regan “enriched my life because of the person and the great player he was” and because “he went out of his way to help people when things weren’t right.” He continued, writing that Regan was “musically inspiring and one of the funniest people on the planet.”

Bruce Kulick, who used to be in the band KISS, also posted a tribute to Regan writing, “We got to tour together in Australia in 2017. He was a fantastic musician and wonderful person.”

Tod Howarth, who performed with Regan in the band Frehley’s Comet, also wrote a tribute to Regan. He shared, “John of course was a world class talent and an incredible human being.”

Listen to Regan perform with Frampton in the video below.

Regan’s wife, Cathy Merring-Regan, was the first to announce Regan’s death through a Facebook post shared by her friend Don Presutti. Merring-Regan wrote, “It is with the greatest sorrow and sadness that I let you all know John passed away this afternoon.” She proceeded to thank friends and fans for their “thoughts and prayers.”

Regan is survived by his wife, his children Christopher and Jeness, and his grandchildren.