Veteran musician Barry Mitchell, who played bass for rock icons Queen in their early years, has passed away.
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Mitchell’s death was first shared by Queen archivist Greg Brooks in an Aug. 20 Facebook post.
“Terribly sad news just received that early Queen bass player (circa 1970), Barry Mitchell, has passed away,” Brooks wrote next to a snapshot of Mitchell. “His anecdotes at the convention were fascinating and offered rare insight.”
“He will be greatly missed.”
No details were shared about the musician’s death.
Per The Independent, Mitchell was the legendary rock band’s second bassist. However, his tenure was decidedly short-lived. The musician only played 13 shows with Queen from 1970 to 1971, and reportedly left of his own accord. The Independent cites Mitchell’s reason for departing as he “wasn’t enthusiastic enough about their music.”
Not long after, Queen recruited John Deacon to serve as its bassist. In 1973, the iconic group dropped their self-titled debut. The band’s fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, debuted in 1975, rocketing them to international fame. The album included their one-of-a-kind hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Barry Mitchell Got Candid About His Time with Queen in a 2018 Interview
While Mitchell probably regretted dipping out of the band due to his lack of enthusiasm, he did give candid interviews about his days with the fledgling rock outfit.
“We played quite a few concerts in England, notably in Liverpool,” he told Rolling Stone in 2018, per The Independent. “Since we didn’t have enough original songs to last a whole show and Freddie [Mercury] loved classic rock & roll, we played that too.”
Supposedly, Mitchell told Rolling Stone he was booted from Queen, claiming the other members “thought I was useless.”
“In fact, it was me who wasn’t enthusiastic enough about their music,” he confessed. “This didn’t necessarily go in the direction I wanted to go. At the time, they weren’t at all the cult band you all know.”
“I didn’t see the potential,” Mitchell admitted. “It’s crazy to say this now, but it’s the truth.”
Meanwhile, Barry Mitchell went on to play for a few pre-punk outfits in the early ’70s.