The musician Ricky Gardiner, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, died, according to producer Tony Visconti, through a Facebook post.
Visconti said that the death of whoever was Known as a “guitar genius”, the musician’s wife, Virginia, made it known to him in an email.
Iggy Pop wrote a moving tribute to his friend on Twitter upon learning of his death.
“Dear Ricky, lovely man, shirtless in your overalls, nicest guy to ever play guitar. Thanks for the memories and the songs, rest in peace forever“, he wrote.
Born in Edinburgh in 1948, his first important band was the progressive rock group Beggars Opera, which was formed in 1969.
The following year, he recorded six albums with the band Act One, which became a cult favorite throughout Europe, particularly in Germany.
he also played with David Bowie and Iggy Pop; on Bowie’s lead guitar on his 1977 album Low. That same year he worked with Pop on Lust for Life, including “The Passenger,” for which he wrote the music, which is considered some of Iggy’s best.
Gardiner and Bowie also toured with Pop for his album The Idiot; Bowie was on keyboards.
In 1998, Gardiner was diagnosed with electrosensitivity, which caused him discomfort with electronic devices. “I can’t go near television, computers of any kind, CD players, FM radio, fluorescent lights, microwave ovens, mobile phones, induced magnetic fields, power supplies… About everything, I can’t get into a recording studio, so I’ve been trying for years to adapt my own studio to be able to try to work to a certain extent, ”he revealed to The Scotsman.2022