Viv Prince, the influential drummer for British Invasion band The Pretty Things, has died.
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Jack White shared the sad news of Prince’s death on Instagram.
“Viv was an incredible drummer, wild and full of abandon,” White wrote in part alongside candid snaps of the wildman drummer. “He played for the band The Pretty Things, and he influenced many other musicians like Keith Moon.”
“I was lucky enough to meet Viv some years ago, who was working on his farm in Portugal at the time,” White continued. “He was an inspired and eccentric rock and roller and maybe I’ll have to put together a team to work on a documentary about this man one day.”
The cause of death has not been disclosed. Prince was 84.
According to Stereogum, Vivian Martin Prince, born in Loughborough, started as a jazz guitarist before moving to drums. In the early 1960s, he toured Europe with jazz bands and later became a session musician in London.
Viv Prince Joins The Pretty Things… Briefly
During his time with Jimmy Page in the band Carter-Lewis & The Southerners, Prince was a prominent figure in London’s rock ‘n’ roll scene, known for his flamboyant and unpredictable stage presence. In 1964, the managers of the Pretty Things persuaded Prince to join the band, replacing their original drummer, Viv Andrews.
Vivi Prince played drums on two Pretty Things albums released in 1965: The Pretty Things and Get The Picture?. During this time, Pretty Things had moderate UK hits with songs such as “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “Honey I Need,” and “Cry To Me.” Prince was also known for his wild antics on stage, influencing drummers like Keith Moon of The Who.
Prince, however, proved to be an unreliable bandmate and was dismissed from the Pretty Things before the end of 1964. He went on to release a solo single in 1966 and had brief stints in a few other groups, but had been out of the music business for decades before his passing. In 1999, the Pretty Things dedicated their song “Vivian Prince” to him.
Pretty Things frontman Phil May passed away in 2020.